James Graham’s Labour of Love is a political play about the schism within the Labour Party and the doctrinal in-fighting which keeps them out of power and makes them permanent losers. The history covers a period from 1990 to the present day and is observed through the lives of a Labour MP, a pragmatic Blairite, and his constituency agent, an idealist on the far Left. They have a sparring relationship, which recalls Beatrice and Benedict in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.
Martin Freeman is utterly believable in his political commitment and gives one of his best performances. He has considerable charm and there is a delightful moment when he proves he can dance. Tamsin Grieg (who took over at very short notice from an indisposed Sarah Lancashire) is totally on top of her role and knows exactly how to deal with the barbed sarcasm which is such an essential feature of Graham’s script.