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Many former Labour supporters feel the party left them, long before they left it, the party

therefore cannot take for granted even the seats that it now holds. That is quite a conclusion

coming just a few days before a crucial set of elections. It is though the conclusion

of an influential group of Labour MPs in a new pamphlet called Hearts and Minds winning

the working class vote. One of those who wrote it is the man Kia Starmer chose to be in

charge of reforming the welfare system, Jonathan Reynolds. Jonathan? Or should I say Johnny?

Welcome to Political Thinking. Well, you can call me Johnny, but people may know,

everyone to be frank calls me Johnny, my wife, friends, colleagues and parliament, but

my mum, who will almost certainly be one of the listeners to this, hates Johnny. So in

print, I am always Jonathan in the house style of all major broadcasts. I have to be down

as Jonathan and the leg party press office has to put it out in that way, but I don't mind

you calling me Johnny, but in formal terms, I've always got to be Jonathan because everyone

just wants to make their mum proud and I'm no different.

Well, this is rather like me, which is my mother. Sometimes I'll always still call

me Nicholas. You say so. I can call you Johnny, but I risk upsetting your mum. That's

dangerous stuff, actually, isn't it? I've disclosed the full risk to you, Nick. So you've

got to make the decision yourself. No, we're talking as so often in recent months,

I've been talking to people down a video link. Have you just managed to begin to have

a glimpse of political normality? Got back on the campaign trail a bit on the odd doorstep,

a bit? Yes, that has been for politicians that the nicest change of the last few weeks.

So I've been able to get around my own constituency. I've been up to the Hartley Pool by election.

...