Only in a clue-free zone like No 10 could a walloping at the local elections seem like the perfect cue to test an 80-seat majority
Local election results mean three flagships have now been sunk in the past month: Westminster, Wandsworth, and the Moskva. Along with Barnet, the loss of those first two councils has contributed to the Conservatives’ London results being described as a “meltdown”, perhaps appropriately. During recent public appearances, Boris Johnson has looked like a novelty Boris Johnson candle left next to a radiator. Key to his survival will be the fact that you can’t afford to turn on the heating any more. In the capital, the prime minister is now about as popular as a no-fault eviction or eye contact on the tube. The Tories have even lost Mayfair, calling into question their strategy of impounding voters’ yachts.
Outside London, it’s a rather more “mixed” picture for Labour. Keir Starmer prides himself on looking ready for court, but arguably needs to graduate from looking like the worried defendant in a photocopier-leasing scam. The real Beergate might turn out to be the fact that he doesn’t seem like the sort of guy people particularly want to have a beer with. One standout criticism you keep hearing is that Starmer’s “not going to set the world on fire” – a reminder that “Let’s burn it all down!” has actually been a vote-winner in the UK for the past few electoral cycles. At dawn, Labour were briefing the line that this was a “turning point election”, a description that really brings to life the 37-point-turn manoeuvre the party has been faultlessly executing since 2010.
Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist
