17 hours agoShareSaveHenry ZeffmanBBC chief political correspondentShareSaveReutersThe patchwork of different election results across England has been truly fascinating, throwing up all sorts of lessons. Here are seven things we have learnt from the contests: These are really bad results for the Labour PartySometimes in politics what is most obvious is most important. These are a bad set of results for the Labour Party at their first electoral test since being swept to office ten months ago in a landslide of epic proportions.”We did it!” the prime minister told his jubilant supporters back then as seat after seat fell to Labour, adding: “It feels good, I have to be honest.”That’s not so much the vibe these days.Leaving the eight-hour count after the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, Labour campaigners were utterly dejected, not least at having lost by only six votes, the closest result in any by-election ever.Yet even if they had won by six votes, the trend would have been the same – a governing party which has burnt through goodwill at an unimaginable pace.It’s possible to overstate how dramatic the contrast with the 2024 general election is, though. Sir Keir Starmer’s victory was broad but shallow, his 411 seats procured on just over a third of the vote. Perhaps it’s not surprising that the so-called loveless landslide has been followed by a rude awakening.Labour’s debate on what to do next is just beginning”On every door it was the same story – winter fuel and Pip.” That’s what a Labour campaigner in Runcorn told me, referring to the early decision this government made to means-test the winter fuel allowance and the more recent announcement that eligibility for the Personal Independence Payment will be tightened.Speaking to Labour MPs from different wings of the party over the course of the day, it’s been surprising how many have pretty much stuck to that same theme. For almost all of them, the original sin of this government was the decision on winter fuel.There are nuances within that position. Some believe the cut could have been communicated better, making the case that some pensioners were receiving the benefit who simply didn’t need it. Others think it was never worth the political risk for the amount of money it would raise.To stress, it is not just the left of the Labour Party, comprised of a handful of MPs willing to criticise Starmer publicly, who are saying this. I had a conversation with an MP on the right of the party who believes the situation is so dire, the damage so fundamental, that Rachel Reeves should simply reverse the cut.That is extremely unlikely. But it is where the debate may be headed when MPs return to the Commons and compare notes next week.And of course a crucial part of that debate is the parlous economic situation inherited by the government which, those around the prime minister insist, necessitated unpleasant decisions which were always bound to be unpopular. If it had not been winter fuel, it would have been something else – the argument goes.The consolation of sorts for Labour is that fixing their political predicament is in their hands. They are the government and the levers of power are at their command. The next general election is up to four years away. All in Labour agree that people need to be made to feel better off – and they hope that if that can be achieved, the political challenges melt away.For the Conservatives, things are somehow getting worseTurns out the only way wasn’t up. The Conservatives were reduced to their fewest MPs ever last July. That annihilation is now being visited on their local politicians.Kemi Badenoch took charge of a crushed Conservative Party and has only had six months to begin trying to turn things round. Still, I am yet to meet a Conservative who will sincerely argue that she has made a good start.I have, though, lost count of Conservative MPs and advisers who say to me that, in a funny way, they need Labour to be doing better. The Conservatives are still tarnished in many voters’ eyes by their governing record, meaning that the receptacle for voters’ immediate frustration with Labour, in Runcorn and elsewhere, is Reform …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nn17 hours agoShareSaveHenry ZeffmanBBC chief political correspondentShareSaveReutersThe patchwork of different election results across England has been truly fascinating, throwing up all sorts of lessons. Here are seven things we have learnt from the contests: These are really bad results for the Labour PartySometimes in politics what is most obvious is most important. These are a bad set of results for the Labour Party at their first electoral test since being swept to office ten months ago in a landslide of epic proportions.”We did it!” the prime minister told his jubilant supporters back then as seat after seat fell to Labour, adding: “It feels good, I have to be honest.”That’s not so much the vibe these days.Leaving the eight-hour count after the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, Labour campaigners were utterly dejected, not least at having lost by only six votes, the closest result in any by-election ever.Yet even if they had won by six votes, the trend would have been the same – a governing party which has burnt through goodwill at an unimaginable pace.It’s possible to overstate how dramatic the contrast with the 2024 general election is, though. Sir Keir Starmer’s victory was broad but shallow, his 411 seats procured on just over a third of the vote. Perhaps it’s not surprising that the so-called loveless landslide has been followed by a rude awakening.Labour’s debate on what to do next is just beginning”On every door it was the same story – winter fuel and Pip.” That’s what a Labour campaigner in Runcorn told me, referring to the early decision this government made to means-test the winter fuel allowance and the more recent announcement that eligibility for the Personal Independence Payment will be tightened.Speaking to Labour MPs from different wings of the party over the course of the day, it’s been surprising how many have pretty much stuck to that same theme. For almost all of them, the original sin of this government was the decision on winter fuel.There are nuances within that position. Some believe the cut could have been communicated better, making the case that some pensioners were receiving the benefit who simply didn’t need it. Others think it was never worth the political risk for the amount of money it would raise.To stress, it is not just the left of the Labour Party, comprised of a handful of MPs willing to criticise Starmer publicly, who are saying this. I had a conversation with an MP on the right of the party who believes the situation is so dire, the damage so fundamental, that Rachel Reeves should simply reverse the cut.That is extremely unlikely. But it is where the debate may be headed when MPs return to the Commons and compare notes next week.And of course a crucial part of that debate is the parlous economic situation inherited by the government which, those around the prime minister insist, necessitated unpleasant decisions which were always bound to be unpopular. If it had not been winter fuel, it would have been something else – the argument goes.The consolation of sorts for Labour is that fixing their political predicament is in their hands. They are the government and the levers of power are at their command. The next general election is up to four years away. All in Labour agree that people need to be made to feel better off – and they hope that if that can be achieved, the political challenges melt away.For the Conservatives, things are somehow getting worseTurns out the only way wasn’t up. The Conservatives were reduced to their fewest MPs ever last July. That annihilation is now being visited on their local politicians.Kemi Badenoch took charge of a crushed Conservative Party and has only had six months to begin trying to turn things round. Still, I am yet to meet a Conservative who will sincerely argue that she has made a good start.I have, though, lost count of Conservative MPs and advisers who say to me that, in a funny way, they need Labour to be doing better. The Conservatives are still tarnished in many voters’ eyes by their governing record, meaning that the receptacle for voters’ immediate frustration with Labour, in Runcorn and elsewhere, is Reform …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
