A catastrophic election defeat could lead to the parliamentary Conservative party tilting towards the populist right, Guardian analysis has indicated.
A projection of the seats the Conservatives would retain if there was a further two percentage point swing to Labour before election day, using data from Electoral Calculus, shows that about 40% of the remaining MPs would come from this wing of the party.
In less calamitous defeats – scenarios based on current polling levels, and on a situation where there is a two percentage point swing in favour of the Tories – the proportion would be nearer to 30%, roughly where it is now.
I’d like one of those election defeats where the tories are no longer the official opposition party, and they can go and do what they like as they’ll be irrelevant.
Lib Dems perhaps? Maybe the SNP doesn’t get wiped out, that would be interesting. I know it’s unlikely to happen, the UK is essentially a 2 party state at this point, but one can dream, right?
It’s not much of an opposition if it’s from the same political side though, is it?
The duopoly is boring and we need a new voting system to properly reflect the nation’s views, but you can’t have a centre-left government with a centre-left opposition, because there wouldn’t be any opposition!
Lib Dems perhaps?
Don’t think so. Lib Dems did the whole student loan pledge U-turn a decade ago and the electorate haven’t forgiven them. Not even voting against ending our relationship with the EU or pledging to stop Brexit was enough for their forgiveness. Voters would rather be upset at them for student loans than to be in the EU 🙄.
“You better not let us lose these elections or we’ll get even worse.”
OK byeeeeeee.
It will keep them out of power until they pull themselves back to the centre. Labour go off to the left when kicked out, Conservatives go off to the right when kicked out. Not going to be fun with the worry of Tory mirror Corybn. That’s going to be terrifying.
Unsurprising considering Labour has lurched largely to the right following defeat.
That’s not to say they are now right-wing but it’d be pretty accurate to describe this iteration of Labour, Starmer’s vision of Labour, a centrist party.
