How do you tell a politician who has just been punched in the face by the electorate that something is looming that will cause him a bigger and far longer-lasting headache?
Keir Starmer probably already has an inkling about the next tortuous twist facing his Labour leadership: mounting pressure to open talks with the leaders of other left-of-centre parties about forming an electoral pact.
The weekend’s latest opinion poll by YouGov set out the nightmare trap into which the left in general and the Labour party in particular has fallen. The party ratings were as follows: Conservatives 46, Labour 28, Greens 8, Lib Dems 8, SNP 5, Reform UK 2, Plaid Cymru 1.
The 18-point Tory lead over Labour suggests that the basic political terrain resembles the situation when Tony Blair was Labour PM and William Hague led the Tories. The government is simply miles ahead and a rump opposition is becalmed.
The government is simply miles ahead and a rump opposition is becalmed
But that’s not the worst of it for Labour.
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