Labour had been defending a narrow 3,595-vote majority in a town it has held since Harold Wilson was in Downing Street nearly 60 years ago. The byelection was called after Mike Hill, the MP since 2017, stood down over sexual harassment allegations, which he denies.
Williams, a local GP and former MP for neighbouring Stockton South, has sought to convince Hartlepudlians to give Labour another chance, arguing that the party is under new leadership both locally and nationally. He told the Guardian last month that its challenge was to convince people to trust Labour.
They can do one of two things. They can double down on their arrogance and hubris, insist that the problem is with the voters, and not them, and ditch Starmer to swing even further to the left.
Or...they can offer the voters policies that they want. Policies they can't get from the Conservatives.
What's it to be?
9 comments:
More popcorn, anyone?
It could be argued that this is not so much a win for the Conservatives, but a massive rejection of Labour and what it has become.
They deserve congratulations for their hard work to encourage the concept of a one-party state - and that party isn't Liebour.
Hartlepool voted overwhelmingly to leave the EU. Labour however put an arch remainer as their candidate under a leader who did his level best to overturn the result of the Brexit referendum. Yet expected the people of Hartlepool to ignore this.
Quiet Man, I agree. It was arrogance heaped upon arrogance to put this arch remainer up for this seat.
Labour will continue to kneel to the BLM, campaign for unlimited immigration and more political correctness and still wonder why the voters reject them.
Let them carry on digging that hole.
Jaded
What could Labour possibly offer that (a) significant numbers of voters want and (b) the Tories aren't already doing? Short of moving to the right of the Tories, that is; which would be hard to sell to the party activists or to convince the voters they were serious about.
"More popcorn, anyone?"
I'm full!
"...this is not so much a win for the Conservatives, but a massive rejection of Labour ..."
Yes, I don't think it's anything but a 'no!' vote rather than a 'more please!' one.
"Yet expected the people of Hartlepool to ignore this."
They took them for granted. And now have time to regret that decision. A long time, in the political wilderness.
"Let them carry on digging that hole."
Starmer appears to be ordering a fleet of mechanical diggers right now!
"What could Labour possibly offer that (a) significant numbers of voters want and (b) the Tories aren't already doing? "
Good point! It appears to be 'nothing'.
Labour do not (and never do) think it's anyones fault but the electorate. They need a new electorate.
Unfortunately our once-respected educational establishments are now institutions of wokery and agitprop and so are trying hard to supply such an electorate.
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