The idea that Brown’s succession will save Labour is pure fiction

When the last Conservative government sacrificed its reputation for competence, it was at least for a worthy cause. On Black Wednesday, British monetary policy was rescued from what was to become the eurozone after John Major’s government lost a shambolic battle with currency speculators. It was a day of ignominious political defeat. But on that day the economy started what has become the longest sustained expansion in history. Tony Blair is absolutely right to say he has not suffered his own Black Wednesday. The tawdry scandals which now engulf him bear no comparison with what was achieved for Britain on 16 September 1992.

The Prime Minister has instead faced a lesser enemy: the combined forces of John Prescott’s libido, Patricia Hewitt’s uselessness and Charles Clarke’s misfortune. The more reflective Cabinet members have been looking beyond the local election results and asking whether the damage Labour has suffered in recent weeks may already have become irreparable.