Do the Tories really want Boris to fight the next election?

In large part, these local elections were a referendum on a basic proposition. Do the government and the Prime Minister deserve a kick in the pants? As it was virtually impossible to argue against that verdict, Boris Johnson could claim to have done surprisingly well. Indeed, some of his Tory critics are disappointed with the outcome. It does not justify an immediate coup.

That said, it seems certain that many of the Tory losses can be blamed on Boris. A lot of traditional Tories, who are used to seriousness in their own lives, will not accept lower standards in their prime minister. This appears to have been especially true in London.

In local elections, London always attracts disproportionate attention. Keir Starmer will be grateful for that. He has done well in London: less well, elsewhere. In the nation as a whole, this is certainly not an election-winning performance by Labour.

Beyond Boris’s clownish mendacity, two further factors explain Labour’s successes in the capital.