December 2019. Labour has suffered one of its worst general election results in living memory with dozens of seats that the party had held on to for decades falling to the Conservatives. On Friday morning the party will begin its analysis of why this happened, with the debate likely to affect how Labour bounces back on the road to the next national vote. Below we look at five reasons why the Labour defeat happened. Shadow cabinet figures such as Richard Burgon were quick to praise the Labour leader’s decency and integrity in broadcast interviews overnight – but after the exit poll came in many candidates said that on the doorstep it was his lack of popularity that cost them. Corbyn went into the campaign with the lowest net satisfaction ratings of any opposition leader since the late 1970s (Ipsos Mori). Among older voters, Labour campaigners said his past support for the Irish republican movement came up repeatedly on the doorsteps. In London, antisemitism and what people perceived as the absence of an apology appeared to be a key issue. Ruth Smeeth, a longstanding Corbyn critic who expected to lose her Stoke North seat, told Sky News the blame for the predicted result lay with the leader. She said: “His personal actions have delivered this result for my constituents and for swathes of the country overnight.” Toby Perkins, standing in Chesterfield, said the election was tough and in part due to the “monumental unpopularity” of Corbyn. The Bottom Line for Labour, and the Liberal Democrats for that matter, is they Ignored the Wishes of the People. A Party that Ignores Democracy will Die by the Sword of Democracy. End of.
Dec 2019. Analysis of the Labour Defeat
