Labour wakes up on Saturday morning bruised and demoralised after its battering at the ballot box.
After 11 years in power, this Tory Government should have been on the ropes. Instead, it was Labour which received the pummelling.
There may be some consolation today if, as expected, Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham retain power in London and Manchester.
But there is no disguising how grim the rest of the results were for Keir Starmer. The loss of the once-safe Hartlepool seat set the pattern for a terrible night, Labour’s vote collapsing in a string of council areas in England.
It was hoped the election of Keir would usher in a new dawn. The road back to power has rarely looked so long or so unnavigable.
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The Conservatives clearly benefitted from the success of the vaccine programme and the public’s appreciation for the furlough scheme.
Yet Labour should and must do better.
The party went into these polls without policies to sell on the doorstep.
Until they can say how they will take the country forward and make people’s lives better they will not get a hearing.
The temptation for Labour will be to turn in on itself and indulge in a futile and bitter round of bloodletting and blame-shifting.
They would be better rallying together and waiting for the storm to pass.
Labour has a proud history. Despite this week's mauling it can still have a proud future.
Going places
For the first time in months sun-starved Britons will be able to travel overseas from May 17 for their summer holiday.
Admittedly, the choice of destinations is limited at the moment to just 12 countries.
Travellers have also been warned to expect delays when leaving and entering the country because of the need for extra checks.
Given the concern about new variants of Covid, it is right to proceed cautiously.
Hopefully, travel will soon be allowed to the holiday hot spots of Spain, France and Greece.
This would be a shot in the arm for the travel industry and would allow more people to be reunited with friends and family or simply to enjoy a well-deserved break.
