Looking at Labour’s trajectory over the past five years or so, in 2019 the party suffered its worst election defeat since 1935. To fall to the position predicted by this exit poll is a remarkable turnaround for the party.
How did they do it?
Well, they have a relatively new leader, Keir Starmer, who took over from a fairly unpopular leader, Jeremy Corbyn, and has turned the party into a force to be reckoned with again. He has done so with a combination of pragmatism and internal ruthlessness, purging those who don’t agree with him or who he sees as too factional.
This means we are witnessing a Labour landslide victory on a par with Tony Blair’s in 1997.
The exit polls show that this will be their best ever result, based on the number of seats won. But don’t mistake this for public affection for Labour and Keir Starmer. This is more of an attempt to oust the Conservatives than public affection for Labour. In fact, one TV commentator called it a loveless landslide victory.
I think the majority of the public is dissatisfied with politicians and just wants an end to the Conservative government that has been in power for 14 years. Due to the peculiarities of the British electoral system, political parties suffer a great deal when they lose the support of the people. The Conservative Party is likely to suffer the worst election result in its history.
