By the time Sir Keir Starmer spoke of the “sunlight of hope” in the early hours, it was more a matter for the Conservatives of who was left standing under the rubble of a Labour landslide than salvaging dignity. Rishi Sunak’s dejected expression said it all — holding his North Yorkshire seat, but leaving office as leader of a party in shock and anger at its dramatic electoral demise and a repudiation of his leadership and performance.
The numbers are punishing — a party with a majority over 80 in 2019 is now about 292 behind Labour. True, it is not the “extinction-level event” of Tory MPs’ worst fears. But the Tories’ results, falling short of exit poll predictions, also mean that even modest hopes of breaching the 130 mark were ultimately dashed.
