LABOUR faces losing one of its safest seats in the country to Reform UK after alientating its voter base with austerity and trying to “out-racist the racists,” campaigners said today.

The warning came as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was joined by his deputy Angela Rayner and Labour chairwoman Ellie Reeves to launch his party’s local election campaign ahead of the polls on May 1, which includes the Runcorn and Helsby by-election.

He promised to “bring change to Britain,” urging voters to help deliver “the renewal the country needs” by backing its candidates in what will be Labour’s first test at the ballot box since entering office.

Sir Keir added that there was “nothing patriotic” about Reform UK’s attitude towards Russian President Vladimir Putin during his speech in Chesterfield.

He said: “They talk the language of workers’ rights. They talk it all right online, sometimes on the doorstep.

“But what did they do? They voted against banning fire and rehire, they voted against scrapping exploitative zero-hour contracts, they voted against sick leave and maternity pay.

“And what about the NHS? They want to charge people for using our NHS.”

Stand up to Racism co-convener Sabby Dhalu warned: “University of Liverpool Professor Jon Tonge recently told BBC Politics North West that, as one of the safest Labour seats in the country, it would be ‘quite some feat’ if another party were to take Runcorn and Helsby. But polls suggest that’s exactly what could happen. 

“Activists informed us that they were so horrified by the Labour candidate’s petition to close the hotel housing refugees, they thought the social media accounts had been hacked into by the far right.

“This strategy will fail to mobilise Labour voters. Labour cannot out-racist the racists.

“We urge Labour to shift to an anti-racist response to Reform UK.”

A spokeswoman for Momentum said: “The fact that Labour is at risk of losing a seat like Runcon and Helsby shows how much the government has alienated its voter base by embracing austerity, making swingeing cuts to welfare and prioritising military spending over public services.”

The Runcorn and Helsby seat was vacated by ex-Labour MP Mike Amesbury following his conviction for assaulting a man on the street.

Ballots are to be held for 23 councils and six mayoralties in England.