The Tories now have a great deal of confidence after Newark. It’s not just, as George Osborne said on the Today programme this morning, that ‘this all shows that if you’ve got a plan that is working for the country and you’ve got a good local candidate, as we did in Robert Jenrick, people respond to that’. It’s also that the party managed to run a very slick and energetic campaign.
MPs in marginal seats I've spoken to this morning couldn't care less about a halved majority (especially given the circumstances of Mercer's resignation and the danger of a by-election for any party of government). They see the result as a sign that the party can, in the words of one marginal MP, 'win big when well organised' and succeed with a positive message about the party's achievements in government.
Get Britain's best politics newsletters
Register to get The Spectator's insight and opinion straight to your inbox. You can then read two free articles each week.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just £1 a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just £1 a monthAlready a subscriber? Log in