Tthere hasn’t been much over the past decade that has given Rachel Reeves cause for optimism. Serious and cautious, she has been one of Labor’s most outspoken critics in discussing how far the party needs to go to regain confidence, especially on the economy.

But the shadow chancellor is more optimistic about Labor’s chances now than even during the election highs of the Miliband years. “I think we are in the strongest position we have been, perhaps in the last 10 years,” she said, sitting in a corner of Bramley Elderly Action in her constituency of Leeds West as the room neighbor welcomes a group doing tai chi.

“I knock on the doors of my own patch every week; the response I have had over the past few weeks has been the best I have ever had since being here. I was in Darlington with [the former MP and now peer] Jenny Chapman a few weeks ago. She said, “I can’t believe I haven’t had a landslide.”

In the first 18 months of Keir Starmer’s leadership and the pandemic, it seemed the Labor Party was crippled, unable to oppose or offer much of a dynamic alternative – a ‘strange moment in politics’ that began to subside.

Then news of the Omicron spread started to dominate, and No.10 was consumed by the Christmas party scandals that broke the lockdown. But even before that, Labor had started to take a lead in the polls, building what has become a nine-point lead. Yet that would not necessarily lead to a majority. “We have a tremendous amount of work to do to rebuild people’s trust, especially in communities in the north of England. A lot of people were very, very angry, ”Reeves says.

Reeves believes Labor’s biggest job is to remove the association from people’s minds with Jeremy Corbyn’s 2019 Labor. Starmer’s determination to do so infuriated many of his activists, who passionately believed in his visionary and ambitious manifesto. The revamped shadow cabinet, comprising Yvette Cooper and Wes Streeting from the centrist wing of the party, sent a particular signal of intent.

Starmer and Reeves are prepared to break away from policies such as nationalization which are crucial for many party members, as well as isolate those on the left from the parliamentary party. Reeves recalls some of the doorstep conversations in recent weeks that underscore this approach.

“People don’t say they regret their vote; they voted conservative for a reason. And they would probably do it again if they gave them the same choice again. But it is not the same choice. It’s a different choice next time. We are in the process of recovering this oil tanker after four electoral defeats. And Keir and I are both pretty determined people. We know what to do.

Reeves’ constituency office is in the Bramley Mall, in a largely white and economically deprived area, and where she warned of significant community tensions in the 2016 EU referendum.

The most recent community tensions have been milder, with locals furious over the mall’s decision to remove its benches. Some have organized protest sit-ins with deckchairs.

But during his operation on a Friday morning, there is a constant stream of worries about the cost of living: “Worries about gas / electricity bills; still worried about the cost of Christmas, but I am thinking of this year in particular; Then there will be all of these tax increases coming next year.

Reeves says this anxiety fuels a more widespread anger at Conservative cronyism, corruption, and breaking the rules. “We did our best to address these political issues in the local elections. And in the end it didn’t really work. And yet now we are making the same arguments and it is starting to resonate more. “

Although Starmer is now 13 points ahead of Boris Johnson on the poll question of who would make the best prime minister, it is the economy where Labor still struggles to make inroads with voters. The latest YouGov poll put the Tories six points ahead of economic competence.

It’s a daunting task for Reeves, a former Bank of England economist, but she says she can challenge that perception. Even now there is £ 1million a day [spent] on consultants within test and trace, ”she said. “If it attacks public finances, I can do a lot better than that.

Another part of the Labor narrative is that the government has promised and underestimated too much, especially for the north of England. “I think we feel like on the east coast side we are really missing something,” she said. “Leeds station is at 101% of its capacity. The government has said “we will use the existing infrastructure to have faster trains between Leeds and Manchester”. Well, good luck with that.

Community Center in her constituency of Leeds West” src=”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9be47362bcb3c415efe3a95da9cdd2725feb97fc/0_122_8192_4918/master/8192.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=05933013759391be77593ad21b125bab” height=”4918″ width=”8192″ loading=”lazy” class=”dcr-1989ovb”/>

Reeves emphasizes sound financial management, words that can set off a wake-up call to the left. But she says it will give her spending announcements a bigger impact, like the £ 28bn a year on climate action she announced at the labor conference.

“The net zero carbon agenda and climate investment pledge is more ambitious than anything we had in Corbyn’s time and I’m really proud of it,” she says.

This is a major spending commitment that the Tories find it hard to criticize, but also difficult to match given Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s fiscal rules. But wouldn’t public ownership of energy companies be a way to force clean growth, as well as pave the way for other issues such as water companies dumping sewage? “I actually don’t think you need to nationalize to keep sewage from going into the sea,” Reeves says. “You just need a lot more regulation.”

But the cost is the real issue. “The truth is, our debt is 100% of GDP. A chancellor cannot say yes to everything. You have to decide what the priorities are. And for me, the pledge of climate investment is absolutely fundamental to my priorities as Chancellor. “

Unlike the conflicted relationship between numbers 10 and 11, Reeves spices up his remarks with “Keir and I” and talks about sharing speech notes with the leader. When the elections come, they will be a double act reminiscent of how David Cameron and George Osborne presented themselves to the electorate. This is how Starmer introduced the role to Reeves: A Package.

“When Keir gave me the job, he said people should be able to imagine me as prime minister and they should be able to trust you with their money,” she said. “These two things are essential if the Labor Party is to resume its functions.”