If the electorate won’t change its mind on the economy, Labour will have to – if it wants to win

Only a couple of years ago the Labour Party was criticised for its silence over the summer recess, with complaints that Ed Miliband’s team had failed to take advantage of the traditionally quiet period to get some much-needed media coverage. Well, never let it be said that Labour doesn’t learn from its mistakes: this year’s seemingly endless leadership election has turned into a nightmare for the party and a delight for hacks.

The cause of all this has been the extraordinary rise of Jeremy Corbyn, and attention is shifting to what might happen if he actually wins this thing. But we already know what will happen if Corbyn wins: it will be a disaster. I’ve been trying to think of another major party leader so far removed from the public’s perception of what it wants in a Prime Minister and the best I can do is Iain Duncan Smith if he had also managed to accidentally kill the entire cast of The Great British Bake Off. 

But what happens if Corbyn doesn’t win? Firstly there will be a big sigh of disappointment from the journalists.