[satnav]

Laura fails to mention that Sunak and most of the cabinet failed to turn up to help in either by-election campaign. Why should voters bother to turnout and vote Tory if the Tory Party doesn't even bother to run a professional campaign?

[Tubby Isaacs]

The narrative of New Labour's fairy-tale victory of 1997 doesn't always include the role of turnout. One Tory campaigner from the time says there was a "toxic combination of switchers and stay at homes".

They recall that "for every ten doors you knocked on of Tory voters, you probably had three or four direct switchers and two or three who were just not going to vote".

They recall that, do they? That's a new one on me. I can recall them saying that there wasn't any love for Labour. And they seemed genuinely surprised by the election result.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

I recall being on the doorstep and being told that it was time to get the bloody useless Tories out...

[Tubby Isaacs]

[Andy McDandy]

I recall the labour bandwagon picking up increasing steam and their leading lights being treated like rock stars. LDs too. Charlie Kennedy and Martin Lewis for two in Lancaster. Fuck the Tories was very much the mood.

[Bones McCoy]

At the risk of stating the bleedin' obvious.

When they stay home, they're no longer Tory voters.

[Oboogie]

I don't think the "There's no love for Starmer" line being peddled by Mogg, Sunak et al is the win they think it is, even if it were true. Surely, losing to a really unpopular Labour leader is an even worse reflection on the Tories than losing to a popular one?

[Bones McCoy]

I don't think the "There's no love for Starmer" line being peddled by Mogg, Sunak et al is the win they think it is, even if it were true. Surely, losing to a really unpopular Labour leader is an even worse reflection on the Tories than losing to a popular one?

I think the public have had enough of personality cults.

[satnav]

Ben Habib has stated today that he will stand in Wellingborough at the next general election. This seems rather an odd choice on his part because if he can't even manage 2nd place in a by-election he has no chance of winning it at a general election. Presumably when the general election does take place Ben Habib and Richard Tice will spend much of the campaign either in the TV studios or campaigning nationally, so they won't have that much time to take part in local campaigning in a specific constituency.

[Tubby Isaacs]

He can say anything, none of the people who vote for him will care. I would think Tice will get Clacton, or Farage if he comes back. I suppose somewhere like Boston and Skegness would be next best, but maybe Habib thinks he can build on name recognition in Wellingborough.

[mattomac]

Well they are unlikely to win any seats and I assume most care if Reform poll 14% somewhere and 10 elsewhere.

It increases the chances of Labour winning I’d say.

[Bones McCoy]

He can say anything, none of the people who vote for him will care. I would think Tice will get Clacton, or Farage if he comes back. I suppose somewhere like Boston and Skegness would be next best, but maybe Habib thinks he can build on name recognition in Wellingborough.

There are places in the country where anybody capable of landing a couple of GCSEs ups and leaves as soon as possible.

It's remarkable how many of them elected gobby red wall style MPs.

[mattomac]

Problem is they had Conservative next to their name.

It’s ironically beneficial for Reform to run again in seats where they have at least done ground work.

Like this dickwad challenging Starmer, he’s going hold a few protests, a few street stalls a march or two but he won’t go near a doorstep and will get about 500 votes.