I’ve been around for a very long time (too long some say) but have never seen a political party or it’s leader implode in so little time. It’s only five months since Labour’s were elected, but it feels like five years and some days is like 50 years. All gloom, every day. No sunshine unless you are a train driver.
Were Starmer to go to the country tomorrow I am convinced Labour would be thrown out with the same vigour they were thrown in. The question that remains is this; Who would take their place?
And that’s why I love Elon Musk’s tweet which said: “All establishment parties in the UK will get crushed in the next election.”
Since we have discovered very early that Labour couldn’t run a bath where would the public place their X. The Lib-Dems have sunk without trace. They have 72 seats and yet not a squeak from them.
My bet is that they would be back at 7 seats, if lucky. The Tories would make a better show, they could hardly do worse.
But Badenoch has a problem. She now has a competitor on the Right. And one that has the following wind. Nigel Farage and Reform have two great advantages. 1) Correctly, he wants to stop and has always wanted to stop immigration.
The majority of the nation are right behind him on this and come voting day will trust him on this ahead of the Tories who talked a good game for 14 years but did bugger all about it.
Farage’s second major advantage is that until now Reform hasn’t actually run anything of any note and therefore the public doesn’t know if Reform have the magic sauce or not.
What is clear is that not only here but across Europe people want a change from the natural order of politics which has dominated voting intentions since 1945. Look at Austria, Germany the Netherlands. All have moved sharply to the Right.
That will happen in the UK. The question is whether it’s the Conservatives or Reform who will benefit. I only expect Badenoch to be in charge for a couple of years and then Boris to make a triumphant return.
That would be good news for Farage. It’s quite clear (Brexit being a stunning example) that Boris only wants to back a winner rather than any policy belief he has. So, my bet is that Boris would do a deal with Farage in a heartbeat if it meant that he would be back in No.10.
And if Farage was offered Home Secretary and Tice a senior post they would be mad not to accept it.
The danger for the Tories would be if Boris was not the leader. Say Badenoch was still around. She has indicated there would be no deal. That’s a mistake as I believe a standalone Reform would expect 30% plus of the electorate diving to the Right and leaving the possibility that Starmer just might cling on.
How awful would that be.
I agree with Musk that the most likely outcome will be the Establishment parties in the UK will take a hammering with Labour suffering the hammering in 2029 that the Tories had in 2024.
And the likely star will be Farage. But to go from likely to certainty there must be a Reform-Tory alliance. They might even create a new party. It would then be in power for many years.