Top London Labour MP admits party HAS lost touch with core working class voters and feels 'adrift from large parts of Britain' David Lammy said voters feel Labour's top MPs 'disapprove' of them Said elite have no idea of working class problems caused by immigration Added that attitude was driving voters into the arms of 'anti-politics' Ukip Hazel Blears said there were too many Oxbridge graduates at top of party Daivd Lammy has accused the upper echelons of the Labour party of being adrift from its voters, saying people feel disapproved of by leaders Ed Miliband's bitter civil war over "elitism" deepened last night after one of his most senior MPs warned that Labour had become "culturally adrift" from its voters. In a powerful critique of Mr Miliband's party, Tottenham MP David Lammy - a London mayoral frontrunner - said Labour's traditional working class base was being driven away by the "disdain" of "liberal, professional" frontbenchers who failed to understand their anger about immigration. Mr Lammy's intervention came as the Labour leader was still desperately trying to contain the storm over Emily Thornberry's forced resignation as Shadow Attorney General for posting on Twitter an apparent sneer at a white van driver who had decked his home near Rochester in England flags. Ms Thornberry's Islington seat is just five miles from Mr Lammy's deprived constituency - but a world away in terms of social cachet. Her privileged pocket of North London has been synonymous with "champagne socialism" since Tony Blair set up home there in the 1980s. Ms Thornberry's £3 million house, which she shares with her husband, a judge, lies close to the homes of other powerful members of Mr Miliband's inner circle, including Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls, Education spokesman Tristram Hunt and former leader Neil Kinnock. In his article for today's Mail on Sunday, former Universities Minister Mr Lammy writes: "The Labour Party feels culturally adrift not just from large parts of Britain, but from its own traditional working class base. Large parts of the country feel that Labour not only disagrees with them, they think we disapprove of them too. He adds: "A sense of mutual disdain between the mainstream parties and working class England is driving voters away from politics, or towards so-called "anti-politics" parties such as Ukip." Mr Lammy - who grew up on a council estate close to Tottenham's infamous Broadwater Farm and who hopes to become London's first black mayor in the 2016 election - argues that "the Labour discomfort hinges on immigration." He writes: "By and large, modern Labour politicians come from liberal, professional backgrounds. They have benefited from globalisation - they mix in social circles with people who work in multinational firms, enjoy foreign travel and find diversity enriching. Much of Labour's traditional electoral base does not feel this way... Immigration becomes swept up in this story. Mr Lammy added that most top Labour politicians come from Liberal, professional backgrounds so saw only the good side of immigration - while the working classes lost out on school places and jobs In some areas it adds pressures to housing, or on school places. And people worry about losing a sense of community if new arrivals do not speak the language, or observe the same customs. In short, people feel that globalisation is benefiting others, but not them. This is what Ukip is tapping into - and Labour has to have an answer. Mr Lammy is likely to face former Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, another member of Labour's "North London set," in the mayoral election. Too many lawyers and Oxbridge graduates Dame Tessa said yesterday that she was "certainly planning to run" to become Labour's candidate to replace Boris Johnson, but would not formally declare her candidature until after May General Election. Other potential Labour candidates include Margaret Hodge - a close neighbour of Ms Thornberry's in Islington. Mr Lammy concludes his article damningly: "Labour lost in Rochester and Strood not because of one tweet, but because of a growing perception that the party has lost touch with a large group of its own voters. That started long before Thursday. It explains why the polls show Ukip taking votes not just from the Tories but Labour too. His commnets echo Hazel Blears who said too many Labour party MPs came from Oxbridge and had been isolated in the world of politics People who have decent and moderate instincts are voting for a party that does not. For the sake of our country, not just our party, it is time to start putting that right. Mr Lammy's remarks were echoed yesterday by former Labour Cabinet Minister Hazel Blears, who said Mr Miliband was one of a growing number of MPs who were out of touch with voters because they had little experience of life outside the "political bubble" in Westminster. The former Communities Secretary said there was "a genuine issue" with the fact that a quarter of all MPs had entered Parliament through the "transition belt" of being a special adviser and winning a safe seat without ever having a "real" job. Mr Miliband did work experience as a teenager for the late Labour radical Tony Benn and started his career in Harriet Harman's office, before working as a special adviser to Gordon Brown when he was Chancellor and winning a safe seat in Doncaster North in 2005. Ms Blears added: "I think we need more people in politics who have got a variety of different lives, who are interesting people who have got something to say." It was also claimed yesterday that Ms Thornberry walked out of a meeting of the Left-wing Fabian Society more than a year ago when a Labour politician attacked the "metropolitan elite who lead the party." She reportedly left during a speech by Lord Glasman, where he said there were "too many human rights lawyers and Oxbridge graduates with PPE [Politics, Philosophy and Economics] degrees at the top of the party." Before embarking on his career in the "bubble," Mr Miliband studied PPE at Oxford. Ms Thornberry is a human rights lawyer. Asked about the "walkout" last night, Ms Thornberry said: "I have no memory of it. That is not my style. DAVID LAMMY: The Labour Party is culturally adrift from the White Van Man who proudly flies our flag The leftist professionals at the top of the Labour party need to realise that parts of the working class do not seem immigration as a positive thing This week the Shadow Attorney General resigned over tweeting a picture of someone's house. That may sound ridiculous. But the episode dramatised something serious and important: the Labour Party feels culturally adrift not just from large parts of Britain, but from its own traditional working class base. This has to change. It matters not just for the electoral fortunes of our party, but also for the good of the country. A sense of mutual disdain between the mainstream parties and working class England is driving voters away from politics, or towards so-called "anti-politics" parties such as Ukip. This week the Ukip candidate in Rochester and Strood suggested that, given the chance, he would be willing to deport a Polish plumber living with their family in England. His leader, who recently described people with Aids as a lower "quality" of immigrant, dismissed Mark Reckless's comments as a minor issue. Despite such distasteful comments, people are still voting for this party is droves. We have to start asking why. The Labour discomfort hinges on immigration. By and large, modern Labour politicians come from liberal, professional backgrounds. They have benefitted from globalisation - they mix in social circles with people who work in multi-national firms, enjoy foreign travel and find diversity enriching. Much of Labour's traditional electoral base does not feel this way. Globalisation may have brought people slightly cheaper consumer goods, but it has also put pressure on wages and made jobs feel insecure. To many, multinational firms are not sources of great opportunity, but elite organisations which pay low wages and even less tax. Immigration becomes swept up in this story. In short, people feel that globalisation is benefitting others, but not them. I don't think that means closing the door on talented people coming to this country. While Labour leaders and their friends and benefitted from immigration, those at the bottom feel it has put pressure on wages and made their jobs feel insecure We have whole sectors that would collapse without the energy, skills and work ethic that migrants bring with them. But it does mean closing the cultural gap between Labour and significant sections of the electorate, whilst doing more to make sure globalisation benefits everyone. Closing that gap starts with reconnecting, enthusiastically and unashamedly with our country's patriotism. The irony here is that it is not just "white van man" who wants to fly the flag, it is also second-generation migrants and many ethnic minorities. I remember, as a child, walking back from school, after a discussion at school about the Falklands war. I turned to Mum and said "I suppose we're on the side of the Argentines, because we're South American?" My family came from the Caribbean colony of Guyana which borders Venezuela. Her response was to snap "Don't you dare talk like that at school!" Like so many West Indians who made the long journey to the UK, she was fiercely patriotic about her adopted home. We see the same dynamic in today's Britain. When I walk through my constituency of Tottenham - one of the most diverse in the country - I often seen a British or English flag draped out of windows by families of all backgrounds. Opinion polls show ethnic minorities to be as proudly patriotic as white Brits. That doesn't mean we should be complacent about bringing people from different cultures together in modern Britain, from encouraging newcomers to learn English, to protecting our national heritage and getting serious about a national civic service for all young people. But most of all, we can't allow ourselves to believe that patriotism is something to sneer at. Making globalisation work for people is harder but just as important. On this point Labour has been hitting some of the right notes, whether that is on tax avoidance, the living wage or promoting high quality apprenticeships. People who have decent and moderate instincts are voting for a party that does not because of a growing sense of mutual disdain between the mainstream parties and working class England In areas like London there are other issues, especially around housing, which need addressing. There are parts of the capital where the lights never come on in homes each night. The houses have been bought by people who are simply storing their money in London, rather than buying a home to live in or even rent out. At a time when rents are rising and home ownership is a distant dream for many, problems like that need tackling. This week Labour has also laid down important markers on immigration and welfare. Most people don't believe migrants come here to milk the system - and they are right. We get the people who are driven and self-starting enough to move from one country, or even continent to another. But it is also true that our welfare system was conceived as an insurance system. You pay in first before you are able to take out. It is right to apply that principle to housing lists and certain benefits, as all parties now agree we should. Amidst all the controversy, there is an irony to the last week's events: Emily Thornberry is not a snob and she is not out of touch. She grew up on a council estate. She is a good constituency MP who will be mortified at causing offence to people. But in the age of social media, politics is instant and unforgiving. Labour lost in Rochester and Strood not because of one tweet, but because of a growing perception that the party has lost touch with a large group of its own voters.