Sebastian Payne - Broken Heartlands: A Journey Through Labours Lost England

Introduction: Gateshead

J. B. Priestley, English Journey, Penguin Books, London, reissue 1977, originally published 1934

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1: Blyth Valley

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2: North West Durham

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Ibid.

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3: Sedgefield

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4: Wakefield

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Ibid

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5: Don Valley

6: Great Grimsby

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7: North East Derbyshire

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8: Coventry North West

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Simon Heffer, Like the Roman: The Life of Enoch Powell (London: Faber and Faber, 1998)

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9: Heywood and Middleton

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10: Burnley

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[updated 16 December 2019]

Conclusion: Hartlepool and Westminster

Richy Horsley and Stephen Richards, Born to Fight, John Blake Publishing, London, 2005

Minor edits have been made to interview quotes throughout for concision and readability, but Ive endeavoured to preserve my interviewees own words as closely as possible.

Sebastian Payne is the Whitehall Editor for the Financial Times. At the 2019 British Journalism Awards, he was awarded Political Journalist of the Year in recognition of his work on the FTs series The Corbyn Revolution. Sebastian presents the podcast Paynes Politics, which was shortlisted for News Podcast of the Year at the 2020 National Press Awards.

When this book was envisaged at the start of 2020, coronavirus was an unknown word to a country unprepared for normal life to abruptly cease. Forging a road trip across England during three lockdowns, with social distancing, was almost impossible at times. But I did not want this to be a pandemic book, so despite the logistical challenges of immersing myself in the places I have written about, the final story is hopefully close to what it would have been without the virus.

Broken Heartlands came to fruition thanks to my two wonderful mentors who have guided the project: Matthew Cole, my learned editor at Pan Macmillan, and David Evans, my ever-supportive agent at David Higham Associates. The pair have expertly chaperoned the project from inception to publication, tempering my verbosity and offering unfailing support and imaginative ideas. At Pan Mac, thanks to James Annal for a cover that captured what the journey was about, Fraser Crichton for his astute copy-editing and Charlotte Wright, who saw the project over the line. Caroline Murrays careful reading was most welcome and without the early backing of Andrew Gordon at David Higham, none of this would have happened.

I have been blessed with three fantastic researchers who slaved through Hansard, endless interviews and statistics to complement my travels. While finding time to stand as a local councillor, Nathan Borodas dedication to the Broken Heartlands project was a feat to behold. Amy OBrien and Gabe Milne diligently worked through interviews, and researching the ten stops. A special thanks also goes to Chris Curtis at the pollsters Opinium, who led the survey of the red wall.

I interviewed over 120 people and I am grateful to every one of them for their time. The cast list makes Broken Heartlands what it is. And for those who wanted to remain in the shadows: thank you, you know who you are.

For their hospitality during my travels, I am grateful for the company of Joe and Heather Brooke, Ed Leech, Joshi Hermann, Julian Glover and Matthew Parris. Broken Heartlands would not have been completed without writing sessions at the bucolic Lookout Tower on Aldeburgh Beach with a special thank you to Caroline Wiseman and Derek Wyatt for always going above and beyond with their hospitality.

In February 2020, I presented a BBC Radio 4 documentary, Englands Level Best, examining what Boris Johnsons levelling-up agenda is. If you enjoyed this book, then please do dig it out. Some of the interviews from the programme also feature here: thanks to Ellie Clifford and Robert Nicholson at Whistledown Productions, and Imogen Walford at the BBC.

Throughout this project, Patrick Maguire has been a rock. Following his own superb book on Labours troubles under Jeremy Corbyn, he has been a much-needed sounding board. Jonathan Derbyshire and Daniel Finkelstein were also incredibly helpful with their thoughts on the final manuscript.

I am indebted to Fraser Nelson, Lionel Barber and Roula Khalaf for the opportunities they have given me throughout my career. My colleagues at the Financial Times have been fantastically understanding as I have juggled writing a book with my reporting job. I could not ask for better comrades than those in Westminsters finest political reporting team: George Parker, Jim Pickard, Robert Shrimsley, Jasmine Cameron-Chileshe and Laura Hughes. Anna Dedhar and the team behind Paynes Politics podcast kindly adapted to a presenter darting around the country. And for everyone at Financial Times HQ, who suffered from late copy, thank you. Andrew Parker and the rest of the UK desk will be relieved I can answer the phone more often.

A book is a shared experience, and my friends have lived the whole thing. To Elizabeth Ames and Chris Murray, Katy Balls, Toby Coaker, Lucy Fisher, Ed Macdonald, Luke McGee, Matt and Sarah McGrath, Alex Wickham and Rhiannon Williams, thank you for all the supportive drinks and dinners. The key workers, Van Mildert and Suffolk gangs also know who they are.

To my family and friends in the north-east: Richard Bruce, Judith and Martin Davis, Christine and Andrew Lawlan, Jonathan Goodfellow and Frank and Irene Tatoli thank you for everything, then as now. The Gastons, Budds and Bozzis have also been joyful additions to family life. My mother, Bronwen, raised me in a single-parent household from the age of eight and gave me the best start in life anyone could ask for. With unfailing support, love, and her astute teachers eye on the manuscript, the realization of this book is thanks to her.