The Best Future For Britain?

It was 30 years ago today that a Leader from a state school last led a party to an overall majority at a General Election. It had been expected to result in a hung Parliament with Labour as the largest party, and that in turn had been expected to lead to a coalition with the Liberal Democrats. Of course, though, Labour, like the Conservative Party that did win outright, was officially campaigning to win outright. Up to now, it has never done anything else.

Today, by contrast, a hung Parliament with Labour as the largest party, leading to a coalition with the Lib Dems, is openly Keir Starmer's best case scenario. The nominations for next month's local elections make it clear beyond doubt that the electoral pact has already been made. The Lib Dems, lest we forget, were the more pro-austerity and pro-war party to the Coalition, in which the Conservatives were the moderating force, as their record since 2015, appalling though it is in itself, makes abundantly clear. Labour is now frankly and formally fighting the Government from the right.

Although Jeremy Corbyn ought to have sacked him for it, if Starmer had not unilaterally changed Labour's Brexit policy, from the black and white 2017 manifesto commitment to leave the Single Market and the Customs Union, to a second referendum with Remain on the ballot paper, then Boris Johnson would never have seen his opportunity and there would never have been a General Election in 2019. In the ordinary course of events, there would this year have been a hung Parliament with Labour as the largest party, led by Corbyn, as nearly happened in 2017. Beginning at 10 o'clock on 5th May, raise your glasses through the Election Night that should have been.