Iain McNicol says whoever becomes leader, Labour will lose next election if it insists on telling voters they are wrong

Labour’s general secretary has warned that voters will punish the party if it goes into the next election telling people “why they are wrong and we are right”.

May has never won an election as prime minister. We must ensure she never does | Iain McNicol Read more

In a rare public intervention, Iain McNicol said the priority after the leadership vote must be to build a unified team that could make a broad political offer.

McNicol has come under attack from some supporters of Jeremy Corbyn in recent months over his handling of the election, after thousands of members were prevented from voting as part of the vetting process.

It has triggered speculation there could be an attempt to depose him as general secretary, but he is thought to have the backing of most members of the party’s national executive committee (NEC).

In an article for the Guardian before Corbyn’s likely victory in the contest, McNicol made a plea for whoever becomes the new leader to build a top team from all wings of the party and to listen to the needs of voters.

He said Labour was in a good financial position after eliminating its debts and had the biggest membership of any European political party. But this would amount to little if it could not unite “under one banner” to harness those resources, McNicol said.

He also urged Labour to listen to the voters, saying the party would do badly at the ballot box if it tried to run campaigns that ignored the realities of what the electorate wanted. “At elections, we cannot choose our opponents, our press or our voters,” he wrote for the Guardian.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Margaret Hodge says she does not think a new party will form on the centre-left, Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock

“We cannot run campaigns telling people why they’re wrong and we’re right. We cannot be divided when our mission is to unite the country. Or if we do, we shouldn’t be surprised when voters punish us at the polls. So we, as a party, need to learn the lessons and listen to what people were telling us about their community, their nation and their sense of security.”

There will be difficult meetings about the composition of the shadow cabinet if Corbyn is elected leader on Saturday before Labour’s autumn conference in Liverpool. The leader will have to decide how to appoint his shadow cabinet after the mass resignations that sparked the challenge to his authority before the summer.

Some senior Labour MPs said they would return to the top team only if there were shadow cabinet elections, but a number of Corbyn’s allies have been trying to persuade those who resigned to return voluntarily with the aim of building a team loyal to the leader.

However, there were signs on Friday that some Labour MPs would never be willing to accept Corbyn’s leadership.

Margaret Hodge, who triggered the vote of no confidence in the leadership, said at a Social Market Foundation event that she would “continue struggling for the Labour party I think we need” if Corbyn were to win on Saturday.

“I don’t think Corbyn can lead a Labour party that can ever, ever command a majority and secure government and I will therefore be looking, at every opportunity, to ensure that we have a Labour party which I think is,” she said.

“There is a struggle for the heart of the Labour party and I knew a lot of these guys, I was around in the 80s so I am familiar with their politics and their objectives and their tactics.”

Hodge said she did not think a new party would form on the centre-left and she would never split from Labour, but “continue to campaign and fight to try and get a leadership and a set of sort of proposals in front of the electorate which I think are true to our values. If 80-85% of your MPs have no confidence in your capability to lead a political party, I think the arrogance of thinking you can continue is unbelievable.”

Hodge said it was “lovely to have a very big political party” but highlighted the importance of the 9 million people who voted Labour. “The first clause of the Labour party rules is about Labour working to achieve, to support the party in parliament to get power, not to be a pressure group,” she added.