Grimsby was a brick in Labour's 'Red Wall' for 74 years- what went wrong?

For 74 years, Great Grimsby was a solid brick in Labour’s “Red Wall” of safe seats, but it fell to the Tories at the general election when MP Melanie Onn lost her seat.

Voters in the constituency blamed the party’s stance on Brexit and leader Jeremy Corbyn for the defeat.

North East Lincolnshire, which includes the North Sea fishing port, backed Brexit by 70% to 30% in 2016.

And Remainer Ms Onn, MP during the referendum campaign, realised immediately Labour was in danger if it failed to respect the outcome.

She said of her election defeat: “I wasn’t surprised.

“There was a noise growing in the area that was not positive and it became quite obvious, particularly when the campaign started, that people were not keen.”

Voters, “increasingly” believed it was “Labour’s fault” Brexit was being delayed, “that we were blocking it… and we were ignoring what they wanted”, she said.

While Boris Johnson was pledging to “Get Brexit Done”, Jeremy Corbyn was promising another vote – and initially refused to say whether he would support Leave or Remain.

When he finally broke his silence, he declared he would be neutral.

Many believe that unclear position sounded the death knell for Labour in seats such as Great Grimsby.

Ms Onn said Corbyn was “very unpopular on the doorstep”, with people telling canvassers they “thought he was for other people, he wasn’t for them”.

Some Labour supporters were in tears as they confessed they would not back the party, Ms Onn revealed.

Others were angry at Corbyn for not singing the National Anthem and accused him of lacking patriotism.

With Brexit done and a new party leader announced on April 4, many hope Labour can rebuild the Red Wall.

But Ms Onn, who backs Lisa Nandy for leader, said: “I don’t think the Labour Party can rely on those people automatically coming back.

“It will be a tough challenge.”

Labour had held Great Grimsby since 1945.

Previous MPs include Anthony Crosland, a former Foreign Secretary, and Austin Mitchell, who represented the constituency for 38 years from 1977. But, on December 12, Tory Lia Nici won a 7,331 majority.

Mr Mitchell was stunned when Grimsby fell. He said: “I expected Labour not to win because Corbyn wasn’t a popular character and we had a cram-bag of policies which was too big and too bulky. But I never thought we’d lose Grimsby…”

He blames Corbyn, a manifesto voters did not believe was deliverable and Labour’s Brexit policy.

“Elections are a choice between two leaders. The argument is, ‘which one do you want to have a beer with?’ Most people would rather have a beer with Boris… than with Corbyn, who would be having a milkshake.

“Corbyn is a nice man and a good man and a principled man. But he was viewed as disloyal and the friend of Britain’s enemies. Grimsby is nothing if not a patriotic town.”

And he believes voters thought the party “helped sustain” the rows which repeatedly delayed Brexit.

Voters in Grimsby issued a damning verdict on Labour yesterday. Lifelong Labour supporter Martyn Mortlock, 46, voted Tory in December.

Echoing their campaign slogan, the car painter said: “I wanted to ‘get Brexit done’ and they were the only ones that were promising it. I voted Out in the referendum – and I still wanted Out in December.”

Angela Wilkinson, 52, voted for the Brexit Party – helping slash Labour’s hopes. She said: “If the leader had not been Jeremy Corbyn, I may have voted Labour, but he was too pro-immigration.

“He wouldn’t have come out of the EU, he would have been quite happy to stay in.

“I voted Out in 2016 because I didn’t like the money that was wasted.

“It should have gone into things like our NHS, which is falling to pieces.

Former RAF man Trevor Green, 61, also blamed Corbyn for his decision to vote Conservative.

He said: “He’s a terrorist sympathiser and I’m ex-Forces, that’s why I couldn’t touch the Labour Party – and the manifesto was c**p.”

Kathryn Piggott, 66, was at a funeral on polling day, but would have voted Tory. She said: “I come from a staunch Labour family, but I thought voting Conservative would ‘get Brexit done’.”

• Labour leadership hopefuls will be grilled on their plans for winning back heartland seats at the Mirror’s hustings in Dudley, West Mids, on Sunday. For tickets: eventbrite.co.uk