Labour will probably win the next general election, but by a smaller margin than currently forecast, Labour’s first MP for Hove has said.

Ivor Caplin was elected in Hove in 1997 - when Tony Blair swept into Number 10 with a 179-seat majority.

However, the former MP who was active in the party’s campaign during the local elections rejects the idea that the general election next year will be a repeat of Blair’s landslide election.

Speaking to The Argus ahead of the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, he said: “The similarity, if there is going to be one, is that Labour will probably win the election, but I don’t think it will be near the numbers that Tony Blair got. It’s likely to be a little closer than we think at the moment

“There is no room for complacency and that’s why there’s a lot of hard work for Labour to do in all places. We can’t take the electorate for granted.”

Mr Caplin said that while there is a strong anti-Conservative feeling in the country and that “the public don’t really see (Rishi) Sunak as a Prime Minister, “what’s not clear is how they’re going to vote on that basis”.

The next general election is expected to take place sometime next year, with political pundits expecting voters to go to the polls in either May or the autumn of 2024.

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Mr Caplin said that it would be a mistake for the Conservative government to wait too long to call the election.

“Historically, the more you drag it out, the worse it is,” he said.

“John Mayor might tell you it’s not a great idea to hang on.”

Although there has been some criticism of Labour for not fleshing out what it would do in government, Mr Caplin said that doing so could pose challenges for the party if and when it gets the keys to Number 10.

He said: “We cannot say to the public that we can do certain things for the simple reason that we really don’t know what’s in the economy and we don’t know what the figures are.

“If we’ve promised everything, we’re not going to achieve anything and I think there is a danger there for the party.”

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Mr Caplin recalled a story from his time as a minister in the Ministry of Defence, when he had regular meetings with the former Conservative leader William Hague.

He recalled that Mr Hague had said: “If we put something out that’s really good, the government are going to steal it.”

Mr Caplin said: “I think one of the things Keir has tried to do is present a strategy for the future without it being too detailed.”

With the Labour leader set to take to the stage later today to deliver his keynote speech, Mr Caplin offered Sir Keir a few words of advice.

“You have to now stay where we are, be confident and at the same time listen - because ultimately it’s the public of the United Kingdom who know best.”