‘Don’t know’ majority

NEVER in the history of British politics has the electorate witnessed such an agonising death of a once great political beast – namely the Conservative Party.

It has dominated British politics for centuries, as the natural political home of vast swathes of a mainly small “c” conservative country, especially since the days of Prime Minister Disraeli.

Its merciful demise at the next election is set in stone. It would be a blessing. It has ceased to be conservative. It has betrayed all those who voted for it in 2019.

Will Labour secure an overall majority? It is highly likely. Will it be because there is widespread enthusiasm for a Labour government? Not at all.

Labour will be elected because a majority of disillusioned Tory voters will either stay at home or vote Reform UK. What votes Labour are taking from the Conservatives tend to be in the “Red Wall” seats Labour lost in 2019.

Labour will win on a lower vote and lower turnout than the last election. In other words, there is no great enthusiasm for either of what were Britain’s two main political parties.

Indeed, I will go further – if there were “to hell with you both” candidates, I suspect they would romp home! That is the terrible truth. The whole body politic is in a shocking state. Yet there is hope. . .

Reform UK speaks for the disillusioned. It ran with about 12% support in the local elections and 17% in the Blackpool South by-election.

Its support is on an upward path. It only needs to get to 20 per cent and it will start winning some parliamentary seats.

Starmer will be worse than Rishi (if that’s possible), then Reform UK’s day will come. For me, that day cannot come soon enough.