The Aftermath

With the aftermath of Labour’s terrible performance in the local and mayoral elections now fully registered, Labour suffering its worst losses since the 1960s - down 331 seats - and loosing the capital to Boris Johnson, it is now up to the Tories to demonstrate that their party can carry the momentum through to national elections. On May 1, voters sent out a clear message of dissatisfaction with the Government and a desire for change.

The past few weeks, have certainly been an opposition party’s dream. The Conservative party has had countless opportunities to highlight the Government’s problems and failures. For instance, the Conservatives are now using the 10p tax rate issue as the centre of their campaign for the by-elections in Crewe and Nantwich, to show how Labour has failed to protect lower-income citizens in these uncertain and difficult economic times.

I believe it is hard to dismiss the significance and impact of the results from the local elections, the London mayoral election, and the recent headlines and polls emerging showing lows levels of confidence and support in both the Prime Minister and the Labour Party. One of the main headlines in the Times this Wednesday was, “55% of Labour voters want Brown to resign,” demonstrating their desire for change of leadership. And just this morning, a YouGov survey for the Sun revealed that Labour has recorded its worst rating since polling began, with the Conservatives in the lead with 49% and Labour far behind with just 23%. Things are not looking very good for Gordon Brown.

However, the rise in support and popularity of the Conservative party, now also means that it’s time for the Tories to start answering serious and tough questions, instead of simply pointing a finger. There will be growing pressure on the Conservative party to explain what they would do differently if in power, and what solutions they have to offer.

Whether or not we will see a general election as soon as next year or in 2010; the Labour party has a very steep uphill battle to fight. The party will have to make some tough decisions about whether or not it should continue backing the Prime Minister and it will become increasingly difficult for them to ignore unsympathetic public opinion.