Copeland was a truly awful result for Labour. But as I say in The Sun this morning, the really alarming things for Labour is that things can get worse for them.
Many Labour MPs have been operating on the assumption that the NHS will keep the party’s loses down to a manageable level in 2020. But Copeland suggests that this hope is misplaced. Labour went all in on the health service there and had no shortage of material to work with, the maternity unit at the local hospital is under threat. By the end of the campaign, Labour’s message was perilously close to vote for us or the baby gets it—and yet people still didn’t vote for them.
The other thing that should really worry Labour is that the Tories’ Corbyn card will be even more potent in 2020. In a by-election, you can’t credibly tell people that if they vote Labour today, Corbyn will be Prime Minister tomorrow.
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