The Red Wall Labour MP summed up the mood. ‘It’s not carnage. It’s f***ing carnage.’
The results are still coming in. But it’s not going to get any better. The pattern is set.
In Labour’s former Northern heartlands, the party has not been defeated. Or even routed. It’s simply ceased to exist. The only councils where the party has been able to cling on are where only a third of the seats were up for election.
In London and the South, the Greens are surging. In some areas, their advance has been checked slightly because of the anti-Semitism row. But they are still making historic breakthroughs.
And, perhaps even more surprisingly, there are the first tentative signs of a recovery for the Tories. To the extent that they will now harbour serious hopes of winning back the London mayoralty in 2028.
In the coming hours, a narrative will be floated that describes the British political landscape as ‘fractured’. And there will be some validity to that claim, as the assault on the two main parties from Reform, Green and independent insurgents continues. But there is one clear pattern.
Sir Keir Starmer is now the most despised leader in modern British political history, writes Dan Hodges
The North West. The North East. The Midlands. The South. London. Scotland. Wales. One issue now unites each area of our divided Kingdom: A deep, abiding, visceral hatred for Keir Starmer. As Karl Turner, the Labour MP currently suspended by the Prime Minister for opposing his policy of abolishing jury trials, put it succinctly. ‘Keir Starmer is now more toxic on the doorstep in Hull than Jeremy Corbyn ever was.’
And yet we already have clear signs of what Starmer’s response to the voters will be: ‘Screw the lot of you. I’m not going anywhere.’
Inside No 10, a plan had been drawn up for another ‘relaunch’. It involved the Prime Minister emerging momentarily from his Downing Street bunker to announce his party was shifting to the Left – to tackle the threat from the Greens – and moving decisively back towards Europe to appeal to pro-Remain Liberals and Tories.
And that plan has already been blown up on the launch pad. The scale of the losses to Reform would make such a pivot politically suicidal.
Which doesn’t mean Starmer won’t still pursue it. As one Minister explained to me: ‘He doesn’t care about appealing to the country now. All he cares about is trying to shore up his position amongst Labour activists.’
One issue now unites each area of our divided Kingdom: A deep, abiding, visceral hatred of Sir Keir
Which means the fate of the Government, the Labour Party and the country now rests in the hands of Labour MPs. Over the past couple of weeks, a clear line has been peddled by the dwindling band of Starmer supporters: ‘We know people are angry with Keir. But there’s no one who’s in a position to replace him.’
That was a toxic message at the best of times. But as a response to the electoral carnage currently playing out, it would represent an act of corporate insanity.
As we are witnessing, Keir Starmer is now the most despised leader in modern British political history. Are Labour MPs honestly going to stand up and say to the country, ‘Yeah, we know you hate him. But trust us. He’s the best we’ve got?’
If they do, then there will be only one outcome. Today, Britain has turned its back decisively on Keir Starmer. If his MPs don’t act – and quickly – the hatred towards their leader will be transferred to their party, and to them.
