A busy morning for Mrs Starmer, the leader of the opposition’s wife, who hit John Lewis early to measure up red curtains for number 10.
Yes, Labour has won control of a string of councils across England and Wales. Among the key council gains, Labour took Rushmore in Hampshire, which is bluer than a Roy Chubby Brown stand up routine and a council which the Conservatives have run since Mick Jagger was a virgin.
The real headache for Rishi Sunak is that six areas that overwhelmingly voted leave in the Brexit referendum swung back to Labour, including Hartlepool, Peterborough and Thurrock.
And Labour won Blackpool South in the by-election, with an eye watering 26 per cent, swing.
Normally Tory high command quite like middle class swingers. Not today.
But it seems that those who voted Labour, did so without any great enthusiasm.
Yes Rishi Sunak is beginning to look like a species so extinct David Attenborough will soon make a documentary about him.
But replacing Sunak with Starmer is like replacing your rubbish boyfriend with someone even worse – someone with tattoos, who rides a motorbike, and still lives with his mother.
And looking behind the headlines, it’s not all great news for Labour.
Turnout – across the board – was anaemically low.
Where is the fervour for a Labour government that we saw in 1997 before the Blair landslide?
Other smaller parties did well, particularly the Greens – God help us, and the Liberal Democrats – remember them?
The other winners were independent candidates, proving that much of the public have had enough of everyone – forget about Tory or Labour, just the word politician is a turn off for many.
Labour have also been stung by their support for Israel, following the October 7th attacks.
Labour saw support dip, in some of its traditional, heartland areas, with large Muslim populations – losing seats in Newcastle, and losing overall control of Oldham.
The British Muslim vote is going to become a key electoral factor in the years ahead.
And what about Reform UK?
Well as predicted they’ve made things worse for the Tories.
Rishi Sunak has a crisis on his hands
PA
As election guru Sir John Curtice points out in the Telegraph today, in those areas, where Reform fielded a candidate, the Conservative vote fell faster than Harry Kane in the penalty box.
But whilst things look terminal for Rishi Sunak, let me issue a word of caution.
Turnout WAS low, which means it’s ALL to play for among the don’t-knows.
In fact a “don’t know” prime minister, leading a “don’t know” government, made up, of “don’t know” MPs, would be the most popular administration in 100 YEARS!
But here’s the point, governments generally lose by-elections, and whilst local elections should be about potholes, street lighting and bins they often serve as a chance to give the incumbent a bloody nose.
Now don’t get me wrong, the Tories, have suffered MORE than a bloody nose.
But in a few MONTHS time when the country goes to the polls, will support for Reform UK fall away?
And will moderate minded and undecided voters baulk at the idea of listening to Sir Keir Starmer wang on for five years?
On paper, the Tories face certain defeat at the next election, but the scale of that defeat is yet to be decided.
I’ve never met a Sir Keir Starmer fan, so why are the Tories standing by and letting him scoop the top prize?
Stop the boats, tackle the NHS waiting list, turn the economy around – and anything’s possible.
But right now, those red curtains are heading STRAIGHT to number 10. Unless the Tories, PULL themselves together.
