I know he lived up north, but Blair seemed to do OK in those communities and he could hardly be described as a northerner.
But it kind of misses the point really. Labour lost because of three things IMO:
1. Corbyn. Nothing to do with policies or Brexit, just Corbyn. Far too many people cannot stand him. No need to debate why, it's just the way it is. Replacing him with anyone (apart from John McDonnell) will gain dozens of extra seats.
2. Brexit. There won't be a Brexit debate in 2024, and if the doom-mongers are correct then maybe Labour communities might even be apologising to Labour!
3. Policies. I keep banging on about this because it is transparently obvious, but people don't seem to get it: We do not live in the 1970's any more. Policies from the 1970's including widespread nationalisations and an increased role for the state, are not things people want or even care about. They want to earn more and be taxed less, more money in their pockets. And they want their employer's business to be successful so that this can happen.
This "us" vs "them", "workers" vs "management" narrative is over. In the 1970's, management paid their staff the bare minimum and gave them fuck all benefits. Workers thought it was great if a strike shut the factory for weeks and the employer nearly went bust. It was a chance to get one over on the bastards. It is not like that any more. Companies realise their staff are their biggest asset and they give them the best benefits they can. And employees feel part of the business and want it to succeed. They don't want to go on strike every 6 weeks. Labour need a pro-business agenda which people can buy into.
They also need *sensible* spending and investment plans which people regard as being pragmatic and deliverable. Not a wish list of freebies which most people realise would wreck the economy.