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Two maps that show Labour really have been reduced to their core support

The party won only 232 seats in the General Election

Louis Dore
Sunday 10 May 2015 06:33 EDT
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It's as if the last 30 years never happened for Labour.

A disastrous campaign for Ed Miliband has seen the party reduced to 232 seats - its worst election performance since 1987 when it was hammered by Margaret Thatcher.

Labour has faced criticism for being too centrist and the extent two which this rings true can be seen by the two maps below, which show the seats they now hold and how closely they correlate to the traditional mining areas around the country.

On the Andrew Marr show, former Labour spin doctor Peter Mandelson, admitted the scale of the problem: "I was there in the 1980s and early 1990s as the party's campaign director. I think now the scale of the challenge we face and the need for rethinking and remodernisation of the party is akin to the sort of scale of challenge we faced in the late 1980s. That's how serious it is."

In response, Chuka Umunna has called for Labour to target “aspirational, middle-class voters” as he throws his hat into the ring following the resignation of Mr Miliband last week.

Former Health Secretary Andy Burnham is the bookmaker's current favourite to lead the party, after Ed Miliband resigned following an unsuccessful campaign.

He urged supporters not to "mourn" the loss and said: "We have come back before and this party will come back again."Leigh MP Andy Burnham is the bookmaker’s current favourite to replace outgoing Leader Ed Miliband.

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