Afternoon summary
Thank you for the questions everone. Happy Easter.
I’m onto quickfire now before wrapping up.
Q&A: @Andrew, do you think there might be a leadership challenge if the results in May are as dire for Labour as many are predicting?
My colleagues who spend time talking to Labour MPs are not expecting a leadership challenge after the May elections. Although many/most of them would like a new leader before the next election, there is no agreement on who it should be, no agreement on an alternative platform and no real evidence that anyone (apart from Andy Burnham, who isn’t in parliament) would be a lot more popular.
Q&A: Has any newspaper ever been sued for libel (successfully or not) because of below-the-line comments?
Not that I’m aware of, as I have pointed out to the lawyers, but they say there is a first time for everything.
The expectation is that Labour will take a drubbing at the May elections. But they will still be the Government with an unassailable Parliamentary majoriity. Whatever they do or don’t do with it and however badly they do they remain the Party in Power. What does that say about democratic accountability?
Local elections don’t over-ride parliamentary elections in that sense. Your approach implies any governing party should have to give up power if it loses local elections.
Do you think that politicians in the UK are actually having less and less influence over the direction of the country? It seems that the transport minister can not positively effect our transport for instance - maybe as a result of denationalisation but it seems to be a general trend.
That is probably true because of factors like devolution, the rise in judicial review (which has empowered the courts) and the power of the regulatory state. But a minister with nous and initiative can still achieve a lot.
With no USP coming forth, how can Badenoch’s Tories continue to plough a path independent of Reform, that will be sufficiently right wing to distinguish them from Farage’s party ?
There seems to be little room for them to grow back into the space they have acacted to both reform and Labour on either side without some new thinking. But that is not coming through.
Do they simply sweat it out and wait/hope for Reform to implode and the voters lost to that party return to their fold ?
Yes, that seems to be the plan.
Andrew do you think we’ll see a return of Boris Johnson to front line politics like he threatened?
Subject to what I said earlier (see 4.10pm – “no outcome should be viewed as too impossible to actually happen”), the answer is no.
Q&A: what is the long term prognosis for Greens given the massive surge in membership. Will it translate to votes at the ballot box and if so what would that mean in a new parliament?
It will definitely be translated into votes. Lots of seats – that’s harder, but not impossible. What would that mean in a new parliament? A wealth tax and PR if the progressives are in charge. (Zack Polanski, unlike Keir Starmer, is passionate about PR.) A Reform UK government if the rise in the Green splits the progressive vote.
Do you believe Starmer actually wants the UK to rejoin the EU or are he’s closer ties speeches just trying to win back people who have switched to the LibDems and Green who do actually want to rejoin.
I don’t think Starmer thinks rejoining is realistic. He might be right. But until about 2013 you would have said leaving wasn’t realistic either.
