But the collapse of Labour’s vote share in the north-east of England last week can’t be explained by long-term factors alone. The circumstances behind this extraordinary defeat tell us much about the party under Starmer. Neither were apparent in the “pints and flags” pitch that Labour made to the Hartlepool electorate. It’s certainly true that many northern voters – like many southern voters – are socially conservative (though many others are not). Then, as now, voters simply bypassed Labour in favour of rightwing parties that were making these claims with greater conviction.

Source: The Guardian May 17, 2021 06:00 UTC