Election shambles

Neither of the two main political parties wishes to fight the European elections next month. This prospect is a national humiliation, almost three years after the referendum to leave the EU, and for the Conservatives and Labour it threatens to be an existential event.

They will face a Brexit Party led by Nigel Farage and a Remain party, Change UK, pushing for a second referendum. Its leaders know the extent of potential cross-party support for their “people’s vote” campaign. Whether they have the time or money to mobilise it is another matter, while the Remain side appears split as the Lib Dems, Greens and Nationalists are all determined to run under their own banners. Similarly, on the Leave side, Ukip continues to attract support and will inevitably take votes away from Mr Farage’s new outfit.

But the question many voters will be asking is, what is the point of voting for mainstream parties in a European election if there are clear Leave and Remain choices on the ballot paper. The difficulties of the Tories and Labour are heightened by internal feuding, over Brexit in the former and over Brexit and anti-semitism in the latter. Ministers are openly at loggerheads and any notion of collective responsibility has broken down. Labour’s internal war over anti-semitism rumbles on with the leak of a secretly recorded conversation between Jeremy Corbyn and Dame Margaret Hodge.

Neither party leader commands widespread support or loyalty among their parliamentary colleagues or among their activists. Rarely can the two parties have entered a series of elections, with council contests to be staged next month as well, in such dire straits. The opportunities for single issue, populist movements have never been greater.