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Alarm bells ring over Labor base

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Federal Labor MPs have warned the party risks handing Scott Morrison the next election unless it urgently reconnects with blue-collar voters, conceding a weekend byelection in NSW showed the party was out of touch with its base.

State Labor leader Jodi McKay was digging in on Sunday after a 7 per cent drop in the party’s primary vote in Saturday’s Upper Hunter byelection, with the Nationals holding the seat and firming up Gladys Berejiklian’s grip on power. Labor’s primary vote was just 21.7 per cent.

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Tom McIlroy is the Financial Review’s Canberra bureau chief based in the press gallery at Parliament House. He was previously the AFR’s political correspondent. Connect with Tom on Twitter. Email Tom at thomas.mcilroy@afr.com
Finbar O'Mallon is a reporter for The Australian Financial Review. Connect with Finbar on Twitter. Email Finbar at f.omallon@afr.com.au

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    Original URL: https://www.afr.com/politics/labor-byelection-alarm-workers-aren-t-voting-for-us-why-20210523-p57uc0