As Blue-Reds Merge, Yellows Surge

For almost as long as there has been a Parliamentary Labour Party, then its dream has been to merge with the Tories as the ultimate act of social climbing. Last night, that became a done deal.

90 years of conveniently finding reasons "in the national interest" to prop up Conservative Governments have finally paid off. Now let's see for whom they have paid off. And for whom they have not.

While the result at North Shropshire is on a knife-edge, there is no doubt that Labour is going to drop from second to third place. Nothing could be more richly deserved.

Not only, but not least, because the Labour candidate used to be Owen Paterson's intern. He is the merger personified.