Labour MPs have given a dossier with a new strategy for trying to defeat Reform UK on social media and disrupting its online dominance. FourOneOne, a communications firm launched last year by the team behind Labour’s 2024 election campaign, has published the new document that accuses Reform politicians and supporters of being “chronically online” and warning they are a far tougher fight than the Tories.
The document contains explanations of both the current state of social media, Reform’s supposed strategies, and tactics on how to confront them with specific messages. It spells out that MPs and Labour supporters should use four key messages, which FourOneOne say “work well” against Mr Farage’s party.
These include:
The group advises that these attack lines “consistently undermine Reform’s stronghold in online conversations” and are “gaining traction”.
Reform’s dominance of online spaces is clear to see on any platform, partly thanks to its own official output, but also unaffiliated influencers.
FourOneOne’s dossier sets out a new viral “Reform without Reform” technique being used by Nigel Farage's online supporters, in which the party’s messaging is “often adopted without explicit party reference, suggesting their talking points are moving into becoming further embedded in everyday, mainstream discussions”.
The document spells out how Labour activists and MPs should counter claims on crime, the cost of living, immigration and anti-Westminster populism.
On crime, the Labour-affiliated group claims that Reform activists are using individual examples of crime as a “symbol of systematic breakdown”.
“A stabbing isn’t just violence – it’s evidence of immigration failure, elite weakness and cultural decay,” says the document.
Labour is advised to counter this with “specific Labour crime reception successes. Show competent governance vs Reform’s disaster tourism”.
On the cost of living, Reform is accused of reframing economic hardship as “moral failure”. Labour is told to counter this with “local cost-of-living solutions” such as money off energy bills, adding: “Reform offers anger, not answers.”
On immigration, Reform is accused of claiming “every housing shortage, NHS delay, or community change” is evidence of “systematic betrayal”, creating a “comprehensive worldview where immigration explains everything”.
Labour is advised to “acknowledge legitimate service pressures while avoiding concrete solutions”.
The document adds: “Avoid defensive position and instead focus on competent management.”
FourOneOne was founded by Nik Rutherford, who was Labour's target seat digital lead for a two-year period that covered the general election.
A number of other staff joined directly from the Labour Party, working for both the party itself and MPs.
