The Politics of Respect: A British Political TL

[Politibrit]

Conservatives regain majority as Labour suffers worst post-war result
4th May 2018

David Cameron has been returned to Downing Street after the Conservatives won a clear majority of seats at the general election.

The Conservatives made gains across the country from both Labour and the Liberal Democrats, and will have 321 MPs out of 600 in the new parliament, with Labour on 157, and the Alternative, who made strong gains, on 63 seats.

The result marks a catastrophic night for Labour, who sunk to their lowest number of MPs since 1935. Party leader Douglas Alexander will make a statement in London later, where he is expected to announce his resignation.

Earlier, Lib Dem leader David Laws said he would step down, after his party lost over two thirds of its seats, falling from 25 MPs to 7.

In other election developments:

-The final seat totals, with all 600 constituencies declared, is Conservative 321, Labour 157, Alternative 63 (38 Respect, 25 Green), the SNP 15, UKIP 15, Liberal Democrats 7, Plaid Cymru 4, Respect Scotland 1, and others 17.

-Despite winning nearly 100 less seats, the Alternative is believed to have won more votes than Labour, with just under 22% of the vote to 21% for Douglas Alexander's party. Conservatives are projected to have taken 29% of the vote, with UKIP on 14%, the Lib Dems 7%, the SNP 3%, and Respect Scotland and Plaid Cymru both on 1%.

-UKIP and the Scottish National Party made strong gains, mainly in Labour territory, and are now on 15 Seats each, enough for both parties to have more MPs than the Liberal Democrats in the new House of Commons.

-David Laws stepped down after a ‘painful’ result for the Liberal Democrats, which saw it lose the majority of its MPs, including prominent figures such as Danny Alexander, Lynne Featherstone, and Simon Hughes, although Laws himself was narrowly able to survive a Tory challenge in his constituency of Yeovil

-The Labour Party sustained significant losses to the Conservatives, the Alternative, and UKIP, with six shadow cabinet members losing their seats, including Shadow Justice Secretary Chukka Ummuna and Shadow Education Secretary Gloria de Piero. Former Cabinet ministers Harriet Harman and Hilary Benn, as well as prominent Brexit campaigner Kate Hoey were also defeated.

-The Alternative saw their support surge, making 45 gains, mainly from Labour. Independent candidate Claire Wright, who was endorsed by the alliance, was also able to win a surprise victory over Conservative Hugo Swire in Devon East

-Meanwhile, the SNP made gains in Scotland, mainly against the Liberal Democrats, whilst Respect’s sister party north of the border, elected its first ever member of the Westminster Parliament, as co-leader John Davidson took Glasgow Central for the party.

-Cabinet Minister Nick Boles was the most notable Tory loser, as his Hove constituency was one of four gains the Alternative made from the Conservatives

-UKIP's Douglas Carswell was able to fend off challenges from both the Conservatives and the independent candidacy of former party donor Arron Banks to hold his seat of Harwich and Clacton. Mr Carswell has had a difficult relationship with his party's leader Nigel Farage, who has accused him of attempting to undermine his control over the party.

-In Northern Ireland, the Democratic Unionists were once again the largest party on 7 Seats, a net gain of one. Sinn Fein and the SDLP each won 3 Seats, with the Ulster Unionists on 2, The Alliance Party re-entered the House of Commons after it's leader, Naomi Long, recaptured the Belfast East constituency that she had lost in 2016, and will have one seat in the new parliament.

-Turnout is expected to be 69%, up from 67% in 2016. The increase largely came from urban areas and university towns, which saw a significant rise in the number of votes cast.



The Conservatives have now won the 301 seats needed to form a majority administration, meaning they are able to govern without needing the support of other parties in the Commons.

Mr Cameron all but declared victory at his count in Witney, where he paid tribute to his party’s achievements in government over the past seven years, and vowed to ‘finish the job’ of balancing the budget, and to bring the country together after the divisions of last year’s EU referendum.

Mr Cameron was re-elected as MP for Witney before returning to London for an audience with the Queen

Douglas Alexander refused to comment on his future as Labour leader after being elected in Paisley and Renfrew- he is expected to make a statement later this morning

"I will continue to strive to govern in the interests of every person in this great country” he said. “Regardless of where you live, your age, your class, or how you vote- know that the Conservative Party will always be on your side.”

"In short, I want my party, and I hope a government I would like to lead, to reclaim a mantle that we should never have lost - the mantle of One Nation, One United Kingdom. That is how I will govern if I am fortunate enough to be returned as Prime Minister."

Mr Cameron later returned to Downing Street with his wife Samantha and is now having an audience with the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael Gove hailed the result as a “momentous victory” for his party- and pledged that the Conservative Party would look to provide “a steady hand at the tiller” during a time of political upheaval at home and abroad.

However, despite their victory there were also signs of concern for the Conservatives, with the party winning its lowest share of the popular vote in its history, as support for anti-establishment forces surged. Energy and Climate Change Secretary Justine Greening acknowledged that there was “room for improvement” for her party, noting that it needed to do more to enhance its appeal to eurosceptic voters and the young, who fuelled the considerable rise in support for UKIP and the Alternative.

“Although we have done a fantastic job in the last few years in government, there are still many people who are living with the effects of the recession, and feel that mainstream parties aren’t speaking for them. Our challenge over the next five years is be to tackle that disillusionment head on, and ensure that our party is able to speak to the aspirations of everyone across the UK.”

Analysis by Laura Kuenssberg

Another year, another extraordinary night in British politics. The headline result, of course, the restoration of the Conservative majority after a two-year intermission. The mood in Number 10, where David Cameron remains as Prime Minister, will no doubt be celebratory- but there will also be a fair amount of relief. Not for the first time, Mr Cameron took a gamble that could have resulted in the end of his premiership had things gone south- and once again he has come out the other side with his standing in-tact.

But when you scratch beneath the surface, there are signs that his luck could be starting to run out. With roughly 320 seats, the Conservative majority is likely to be relatively comfortable, but is by no means a landslide. At the time of writing, it is estimated that the Conservatives will register their lowest ever share of the popular vote. But in many senses, this does not matter. In UK elections, it is not votes, but seats, that count, and the Conservatives have been able to make gains in the second category because, for all their own struggles, Labour is in a far worse position, with its former coalition of voters splintering apart in all directions.

The opposition now stands at a crossroads. Questions will inevitably be asked as to whether Labour can survive as an electable force, or whether they will be displaced by a surging Alternative as the main party of the left. Certainly, the influx of fifty Respect and Green MPs will fundamentally alter the dynamics of the new parliament. There are many in their ranks who will want to push on and ‘finish off’ the Labour Party in the next five years, but others, including Tommy Sheppard and Molly Scott Cato-have hinted that they could be open to some vaguely defined type of collaboration with Labour in order to dislodge the Conservatives in the near future. The path that the they and the Labour leadership (whether Douglas Alexander remains in post or not) take may well end up deciding whether this is the start of a long period of dominance for the Conservative Party- or whether their days in government are numbered.

David Laws announced his resignation as leader of the Liberal Democrats just hours after successfully holding his seat of Yeovil

UKIP Leader Nigel Farage promised that his party would aim to the ‘burst the Westminster bubble’ in the new parliament as his party elected a record 15 MPs

Although its vote held up relatively well in Scotland and Wales, Labour saw heavy swings against it in England- both in inner cities and university towns-which made up the bulk of Alternative gains- and in areas that voted heavily to Leave the EU in 2017-where UKIP made inroads, taking ten seats off of Labour.

Mr Alexander, whose Paisley and Renfrew seat was amongst the first seats to declare- declined to comment on his future as Labour leader when speaking at his count, however he did accept that Labour was “not in the place that we would hope to be.”

“Voters who once considered us to be their natural political home are increasingly deserting us for populist forces of both left and right” Mr Alexander said after winning his seat for the sixth time. “I would like to make clear that I accept my own responsibility for this failure, and whatever the outcome, it will be incumbent on our party to rebuild the trust that we have lost in the months and years ahead.”

The Labour leader is expected to make a full statement on the future of his leadership later this morning.

The sombre mood within the Labour Party contrasted sharply with the jubilation in Respect and the Green Party, with the Alternative gaining over thirty seats to win the largest proportion of seats for a third party since 1929. Speaking after being comfortably re-elected in his seat of Bethnal Green and Shoreditch Respect leader Tommy Sheppard said that the result was a victory “for the politics of hope over the politics of fear and division”.

He also pledged that the Alternative’s new parliamentary contingent would make every effort to ensure that they were heard in the new parliament, adding “I can promise those who put their trust in us at this election, that yours was not a wasted vote, that you will no longer be ignored, or taken for granted, that your voice will ring out throughout the Palace of Westminster, and it will be a voice that demands change.”

 

[Politibrit]

I am looking to get this TL formally wrapped up by the end of this weekend. I've got multiple news articles on the election result that will be promised within the next day or so. I am hoping to have made the final post by Sunday evening. I will probably post some extra stuff like Wikiboxes in the next week, but the narrative will be done by tomorrow.

 

[Ogrebear]

The Song for Labour after these election results!

 

[Ogrebear]

I am looking to get this TL formally wrapped up by the end of this weekend. I've got multiple news articles on the election result that will be promised within the next day or so. I am hoping to have made the final post by Sunday evening. I will probably post some extra stuff like Wikiboxes in the next week, but the narrative will be done by tomorrow.

Thank you for all the work on this Timeline. I have enjoyed watching this Alternative Britain arise, and hope you come back and visit it again at some point.

 

[Airesien]

I've just gone through and read this over the last couple of days. I love it, especially the detail on the elections. It's certainly inspired me to do a narrative TL of 21st century British politics myself. A shame it is almost over, but like @Ogrebear said, I hope you revisit again in the future.

 

[Politibrit]

Alternative makes historic gains
4th May 2018

A surge in support for the Alternative saw them secure a record total of sixty-three seats at the general election.

The result means that the alliance- formed of Respect, the Greens, and a handful of other minor left-wing parties- have put in the best showing for a third party since 1929.

The Alternative exceeded the expectations of most pundits on election night, and claimed the scalps of several notable MPs, including no less than four of Labour’s shadow cabinet ministers.

The alliance’s final share of the national vote is thought to be just under 22%, ahead of Labou on 21%, despite not fielding candidates in Scotland, or in just over a dozen English and Welsh constituencies, where it endorsed independent candidates. They were also able to win the popular vote in London, although the Conservatives won more seats in the capital, claiming 33 Seats to the Alternative’s 24.

‘Remarkable’

Speaking at his count in Bethnal Green and Shoreditch, where the Alternative more than doubled its majority over Labour, Respect Party leader Tommy Sheppard hailed the results as “remarkable”.

“People have realised that they do not need to choose between the lesser of two evils, and have opted for the politics of hope over the politics of fear and division” Mr Sheppard said. “In record numbers, people have elected Alternative MPs, whose first and only mandate will come from the communities who elected them, and whose ambition will not be compromised by being part of the Westminster establishment.”

However, the Respect leader went on to express his disappointment at the overall result of the election, which saw the Conservative Party returned to power after regaining the majority that it lost in 2015, and appealed to the Labour Party and other ‘progressive forces’ to work with the Alternative in the new parliament to “resist” the government’s programme; warning that “If we work together, we can save this country from the worst of Conservative rule…if we do not; history will not forgive us.”

The Tommy Sheppard Story

Tommy Sheppard began his political life in Labour Party politics, first in London, then in his native Scotland, but he has since gone to play a key role in the Respect Party since its foundation in 2004.

After winning the party leadership in 2012, Sheppard embarked on a mission to broaden his party’s appeal by adopting new organising and campaigning techniques, and by deepening Respect’s co-operation with other left-wing parties, most notably the Greens.

This strategy has appeared to pay off, and after a strong performance in the 2016 Election debates which made him a national political icon, Sheppard has increasingly become a household name, and the public face of Respect and the Alternative alliance that it participates in. The alliance has now added to its victory in the 2017 London Mayoral Election by making significant advances at the 2018 General Election, and Sheppard now looks set to be the leading figure in party’s third most influential bloc of MPs.

Read the full article

The Alternative is thought to have benefited from a surge in turnout, particularly among younger voters, with whom they are thought to have fared particularly well. The vast majority of its gains came in inner city areas or in university towns, such as Exeter, Cambridge, and York. Most of the gains came at the expense of the Labour Party, from whom the Alternative made 34 out of its 45 gains. Notable scalps included Shadow Justice Secretary Chukka Ummuna in Clapham and Streatham, former cabinet minister Harriet Harman in Dulwich and Peckham, and the prominent Brexiteer MP Kate Hoey, who lost her Brixton seat to former student activist and pro-EU campaigner Michael Chessum. The Alternative was also able to take Hornsey and Wood Green from former Lib Dem leader Lynne Featherstone, and defeat Conservative cabinet minister Nick Boles in his constituency of Hove.

Green Deputy Leader Amelia Womack claimed one of the Alternative's most notable victories on the night, unseating former Labour cabinet minister Harriet Harman in her seat of Dulwich and Peckham

Of the Alternative MPs in the new House of Commons, 38 are members of the Respect Party, with the other 25 coming from the Green Party. Speaking after being re-elected in her seat of Bristol West, Green Party leader Molly Scott Cato said that the gains made by the alliance were a sign that voters had rejected anti-immigration sentiment and austerity in favour of “a new way of doing our politics and a new way of running our economy” going onto pledge that her party would maintain its “partnership of principle” with Respect in the new parliament, whilst at the same time “reinforcing our own identity…by bringing radical Green ideas to the halls of Westminster”.

The alliance is also expected to work closely with Claire Wright, the new Independent MP for East Devon who sensationally defeated Conservative Hugo Swire after having been endorsed by the Alternative, and John Davidson, who unseated Labour’s Ann McKechin in Glasgow Central to become the first ever MP to represent Respect Scotland in the House of Commons, Respect’s Scottish sister party who are not formally part of the Alternative coalition.

It has also proved to be a good night for the alliance at the local elections, where it is believed to have made gains of over two hundred councillors. The best results have come in London, where Alternative is believed to have won all four of the directly elected borough mayoralties, and has also gained control of Hackney and Camden councils at the time of writing. With counting still ongoing, the alliance is believed to be hopeful of taking an additional three authorities from Labour.


Analysis by Chris Mason

In the age of 24 hours news coverage, it often all too easy to get lost in the moment when covering politics. Seen through the prism of the last few months and years, the Alternative’s performance at the election is impressive. But when viewed in the context of modern political history, it is nothing short of incredible. When Respect was founded fourteen years ago, it was expected to be an irrelevance that was unlikely even to find its way into any significant public office. Even after the defection of Ken Livingstone and the pact with the Greens, few expected the alliance to make any the kind of inroads that we have seen in the course of this election night. Indeed, there were many stages when even some of its most prominent figures did not expect it to survive. But now, it looks like the Alternative is here to stay, and will send over sixty MPs to the new House of Commons. Not since the rise of Labour has a new party been able to establish itself in the British political system in quite the same way.

The success of the alliance is undoubtedly a testament to the personal talents of many of its leaders- most notably Tommy Sheppard, as well as an innovative and dynamic campaigning machine that outgunned the two major parties in marginals up and down the country. But it also owes a great deal of its success to a shift in attitudes in many sections of the electorate. Disillusioned by economic insecurity and a public debate that is out of step with their values (particularly on immigration) younger, university educated voters have turned their back on politics as usual, and instead thrown their support behind the Alternative.

The influx of alliance MPs will no doubt have very interesting implications for the new parliament. Although their parliamentary contingent will still be considerably smaller than their Conservative and Labour counterparts, they will be keen to make its mark in the Commons. Having made its big breakthrough into Westminster, the alliance now has even bigger targets in their sights. Already, there is talk of Tommy Sheppard and Molly Scott Cato putting together a joint Shadow Cabinet- a moniker traditionally reserved for the largest party outside government. The message behind the move is clear- the Alternative views itself, as the real opposition to the Conservative Party, and is aiming to displace Labour as the dominant party of the left. Until only recently, such aspirations would have been dismissed as fanciful. But by now, pundits and political opponents alike have surely learnt that you underestimate the Alternative at your peril.

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"Thank you. I would like to thank the other candidates, I would also like to thank the returning officer and the staff for all the efforts they have made over this long and gruelling day to see democracy served. I’d like to thank also my campaign team here in Bethnal Green and Shoreditch, who have worked so long and so hard over this very long election campaign for putting up with my long periods of absence, as I’ve been doing other events up and down the country, I realise the circumstances have been far from ideal from you, and I can’t tell you much I appreciate the extraordinary work you’ve done here in this constituency. I would also like to thank my partner, Kate, who has been a rock in this campaign.

My friends, I think it is clear that something remarkable has happened tonight. People have realised that they do not need to choose between the lesser of two evils, and have opted for the politics of hope over the politics of fear and division. In record numbers, people have elected Alternative MPs, whose first and only mandate will come from the communities who elected them, and whose ambition will not be compromised by being part of the Westminster establishment. It is also clear, something that I think is refreshing in politics, that when you decide to put a bold, imaginative, radical prospectus in front of people and argue for it hard, they will back you.

And I can promise those who put their trust in us at this election, that yours was not a wasted vote, that you will no longer be ignored, or taken for granted, that your voice will ring through the halls of the Palace of Westminster, and that voice will demand change. And let me tell you this tonight, our success at this election is about more than just the number of votes or the number of MPs we have won. Up and down the country, millions of people are reawakened, re-enthused, re-engaged with politics, and they have learnt that it is too important to be left to the politicians.

But if it is the best of times for our alliance, it is the worst of times for our country. The results are still coming in, but it appears increasingly that we are set for another term of Conservative rule. I think I speak for millions of people across the UK when I say this is a prospect that fills me with dread. If we allow the Tories to assert their dominance over British politics in the years ahead, we face the very real prospect of Britain becoming a land where wealth and opportunity is the preserve of only a small elite, whilst ordinary people are forced to live with inequality, insecurity, and a welfare state that is a mere shell of its former self. We cannot let that happen. And tonight, I would like to appeal to all the progressive forces inside and outside of parliament, particularly within the Labour Party, to work with us in the months and years ahead to resist a Tory government that the vast majority of the public do not want and did not vote for. If we work together, we can save this country from the worst of Conservative rule, and chart the course into a bright future for this country, if we do not; history will not forgive us.

I would like to say thank you once again to the people of Bethnal Green and Shoreditch for placing their trust in me tonight, and to those millions who did the same for hundreds of Respect and Green candidates across the UK. Thank you very much."

-Tommy Sheppard, after being re-elected as MP for Bethnal Green and Shoreditch at the 2018 General Election

 

[Ogrebear]

Very nice words there Mr Sheppard. Very nice indeed.

 

[Politibrit]

Douglas Alexander resigns as Labour Leader
4th May 2018

Douglas Alexander has quit as Labour leader after his party sustained heavy losses at the general election.

Labour lost seats to the Conservatives, the Alternative, and UKIP, as David Cameron’s party regained the majority that it lost in 2016.

In a speech in London, Mr Alexander accepted “full responsibility” for the failure, adding that “it is now clear to me that Labour needs to change, and that process will need to begin with a change of leader.”

Shadow Justice Secretary Chukka Ummuna and Shadow Education Secretary Gloria de Piero were amongst the party’s most high-profile casualties, on a night which saw Labour slump to its worst result since 1931.

‘Desperately Disappointed’

Mr Alexander was applauded by staff as he arrived at Labour headquarters in central London.

"I am Labour to my core” he said. “It has been an honour and a privilege to lead the party that I love. I am desperately disappointed that I could not take this party back to where it needs to be-in government.”

Mr Alexander said he had “given this job everything” since replacing David Miliband as leader 2016, and went to pay tribute to the “immense commitment and spirit” of Labour MPs and activists throughout his tenure.

In reference to the gains made by the Alternative and UKIP, he said that his party had been overwhelmed by “a surge of populism” and that Labour needed “to rebuild the trust that we have lost” amongst voters, claiming that Labour “is-and always has been- the party of the outsider."

Douglas Alexander speaking earlier at his count in Paisley and Renfrew, where he was returned as an MP for the sixth time

Deputy Leader Tom Watson- who staved off an unexpectedly strong UKIP challenge in Wednesbury- will now lead the party on a temporary basis.

Prominent Brexit campaigner Kate Hoey was one of 34 Labour MPs to lose their seats to Respect or the Greens

He urged supporters not to "mourn" the defeat.

"We have come back before and this party will come back again," he added.

Mr Alexander confirmed deputy leader Tom Watson would replace him on an interim basis until a new leader is elected.

‘Catastrophic night’

Mr Ummuna, who had himself been tipped as a future leader, was among those to fall beneath the tide of Alternative support, losing his seat of Clapham and Streatham to Respect’s Yannis Gourtsoyannis by over five thousand votes.

"This has been a catastrophic night for Labour, but the truth it has also been a catastrophic night for anyone who cannot afford to suffer under another term of Conservative rule” he said.

Ummuna said that the party needed to rediscover the “pragmatic radicalism” that had carried it to power at past elections.

Following her own defeat to UKIP’s Ray Young in her constituency of Ashfield, Ms. de Piero acknowledged that “many of those people who once saw Labour as their traditional political home are increasingly deserting us for populist forces” and said it would be vital for the party to “step outside of its comfort zone” if it was to recover these losses.

‘Time for a Woman’

Talk will now turn to who will succeed Mr Alexander as Labour leader. Among the early favourites are Watson; the shadow business secretary, Ed Miliband, who previously bid for the leadership in 2011; the Shadow Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, the Shadow Health Secretary, Jim Murphy; and the Shadow Secretary for Communities and Local Government, Lisa Nandy.

The prospects of Reeves and Nandy could be boosted by a push to ensure that the Labour elects its first female leader. Harriet Harman, who was herself defeated by the Green Party’s Amelia Womack in Dulwich and Peckham, tweeted that the fact Labour had never had a woman at the helm in its 118 year history was an “embarrassment”, adding that it was “well past time for a woman to take the reins.” It is not yet known whether the party will take any action to guarantee that it elects a female leader, although some have floated the idea of imposing an all-female shortlist- a measure Labour has often used to select parliamentary candidates in the past.

There has also been talk that the party will look to revise its method of electing its leader- which is currently based on an ‘electoral college’ where the votes of MPs, Trade Unionists, and party members are weighted equally. Lord Mandelson-one of the party’s most prominent figures in the New Labour years, voiced his support for the move, claiming that the current system is “not suited to the realities of the modern era.”

Whoever emerges victorious will likely face an uphill struggle to take the party back to government, in a new parliament which will see Labour hold nearly 150 seats less than their Conservative rivals, whilst at the same time coming under threat from the Alternative, who now possess 63 Seats in the Commons, having pipped Labour to second in total vote share.

 

[MatthewFirth]

Ed won't do it. He had enough stress facing his brother for the leadership in 2011.

 

[Politibrit]

Epilogue

Huw Edwards: We’re just coming up past midday, if you’re just joining us the latest news is that Douglas Alexander has resigned the Labour Party leadership, David Laws, of the Liberal Democrats, has also stepped down from his position. We’re expecting that David Cameron will soon travel to Buckingham Palace for an audience with the Queen, and that should take place within the next half hour or so. Joining me now from Manchester is Labour’s Lisa Nandy, who was the Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary government in the last parliament, she’s just been re-elected as the Labour MP for Wigan. Lisa, thank you for joining us. Your thoughts on what’s gone on overnight?

Lisa Nandy: Well obviously it’s a very sad day for the Labour Party, and for progressive politics in general, really. I visited quite a few marginal constituencies during the campaign, and I saw thousands of Labour party members giving up their free time to come up out and support us, because they believe in a fairer country, so my heart goes out to them, and to my colleagues who have lost their seats. But more than anything I feel bad for my constituents, who have really struggled under this government over the past seven years, and are now facing the prospect of another four years of Tory rule, and I think our party has to take some of the responsibility for that, clearly we failed to present a compelling alternative to the electorate over the course of the campaign, and we have a lot of thinking, and a lot of listening to do too, if we are going to come back from this situation.

HE: So in your eyes then, what went wrong? Was it a failure of strategy? Or was it to do with your party’s policies and the way it presented itself on the issues? Obviously, you’ve lost a lot of votes to the Alternative and UKIP, do you think that Douglas Alexander should have perhaps run a more radical campaign?

LN: Look, I am not going to sit here and say that this result was all down to the way Douglas led our party, because it wasn’t. Throughout the last two years he has shown a dedication and a commitment to his job that I have admired tremendously. As with any leadership, some mistakes were made, but I think what’s a lot more important is the wider political context. If you look across Europe, you’ll see parties like ours struggling to face up to the challenges of globalisation and all that comes with it. And I think some of the problems we are seeing now began long before Douglas took over the leadership.

I think people have seen us for quite a long time, as being part of a technocratic and distant elite, and really they had little clear idea what we stood for beyond that. I think that’s because we have too often resorted to soundbites and spin, rather than having an honest conversation with people about the nature of our problems, whether that’s on immigration or tuition fees, and then translating that into a vision for how we want society to be. Our party has been at its best when we have done that in the past, and we’ll need to emulate that if we are going to return to power in the future.

HE: I’ll just go through some statistics for you, forgive me if you’ve heard this already. This is Labour’s lowest number of seats since 1931, it’s share of the vote at this election was its worst since the end of the First World War. You came third in terms of raw vote share, and in London-the largest city in the country, you came third. After such a historically bad result for you, I suppose it is almost inevitable that this question will be asked; is the Labour Party finished?

LN: Well let’s not get carried away just yet. As you probably know, the death of political parties our often forecast but rarely actually happen. What I will say though is that we cannot become complacent and assume that we have the right to exist. If we don’t listen to what people are trying to tell us, then eventually they will turn their backs on us, and right now, they are telling us that Labour needs to change. But if we are willing to step outside of our comfort zone, and engage with people on their own terms, and be prepared to work with those others who might not share our views on everything in order to get things done, then I am optimistic that our best days are still ahead of us, because what is also clear from this result is that people are angry, they don’t think the current way of running our country and our economy is working for them, and they want a new way of doing things. And that anger is something I think we can work with. Labour is a party that exists to challenge vested interests on behalf of ordinary people, and we are uniquely positioned to bring together Leavers and Remainers, the young and the old, and the working class and the middle class, and channel their resentment into a force for positive change in this country.

HE: You touched there on the possibility of Labour working more openly with others in the future-as no doubt you are aware, that’s an idea that has been mentioned a few times tonight. Tommy Sheppard and Molly Scott Cato both touched on the idea of their parties coming to some sort of arrangement with Labour in parliament and possibly at the next election as well, and I know you’ve been vocal in the past about your belief in building a ‘progressive alliance’ between Labour and other parties, is that something you still think your party should consider going forward?

LN: Well as you say I’ve been supportive of that idea before, and I can’t say that the last few months have really changed my mind. I got into parliament in 2011, and since then everyday I’ve seen this Tory government run this country and my constituency into the ground. And I find it immensely frustrating that, although I find that I agree with Respect members, or Greens, or Lib Dems, on 90% of the issues, we spend all of our time fighting each other, when together, it is clear we have the strength to take on and beat our real opposition, which is our current government. So yes, I think there is room for collaboration between progressive minded people in the years ahead, certainly in parliament to mitigate against the worst effects of the Conservative agenda, whether that co-operation should extend to elections as well is a matter that I think should be left up to the members of Labour and other parties.

HE: Obviously, now that Mr Alexander has stepped down, there will be a Labour leadership contest in the not too distant future, you are being floated as one of the possible contenders, so I can’t let you go, without asking the question you’ve probably been expecting-will you be standing?

LN: Yes, I was expecting you to ask me that. The honest answer is I haven’t really had a chance to think about it yet- we’ve just been through a gruelling election campaign and I think we would all be best served by getting some rest and leaving the big decisions until later. What I will say though is that I think we’re in danger of putting the cart before the horse here-we need to get away from this notion that one person will be able to come in and magically solve everything, it is not as simple as that. The most important thing for us to do right now is to go back to the drawing board, and develop the ideas that can re-energise our movement and inspire voters, and of course the question of who takes over from Douglas’ will be have to be dealt with eventually, but we would be best served by having a policy debate before we get to that point. I think that is something we were denied in 2011, and then in 2016, and that has perhaps contributed to the defeats that we have suffered in the last few years. So in my view it would be a mistake if we were to launch ourselves into another leadership contest now.

HE: Would you then, get behind the idea of extending Tom Watson’s interim leadership, and delaying the contest until the end of the year, or perhaps holding it several years down the line?

LN: Well I would certainly say that we should pause things for least few months to allow us to take stock of what is just happen and evaluate how we should be proceed in the years ahead. Tom is an experienced politician, he knows the Labour party well, I think he would be more than capable of leading us until then, and he was elected to the Deputy Leadership less than two years ago-so he has the mandate to do it as well.

HE: Lisa Nandy, from Manchester, thank you.

 

[Politibrit]

That was the final chapter- thanks to everyone for sticking with what was quite a long TL over a number of months. I will post wikiboxes for the General Election (along with a list of Alternative MPs) and London Boroughs, plus for a few more general ones in the coming days.

 

[jhenderson 20]

Really good work.
A good point to bow out on too.

 

[markus meecham]

Very good work indeed, i will stay in tune for any tls you might write in the future.

 

[clem attlee]

Wonderful TL updated frequently and at length. I really appreciate how much time and knowledge you brought to this and will watch out for your work after this is completed.

 

[MatthewFirth]

Absolutely loved this. My only complaint is that it should have ended on a Respect note and not a Labour?

 

[Major Crimson]

Brilliant stuff, we've had a bit of a decline in modern British Politics in the past year on here so its grand to see an extended, deep Brit-Pol TL. Was a great read and I hope to see more in the future.

 

[Politibrit]

Absolutely loved this. My only complaint is that it should have ended on a Respect note and not a Labour?

I see your point, but at the same time, I thought it was the best way to illustrate where we stand here. Respect/The Alternative has risen to the status of a strong third party akin to 2000s Lib Dems, which was basically what I wanted to accomplish in this TL, and now it is moving onto the next phase of its development. It could displace Labour, or it could ultimately join with it to create a new dominant left wing force.

Whether that happens will have a lot to do with the decisions that Respect make, but it will also depend on having a Labour leadership who is willing to work with them. It could be that Nandy runs and wins and closer ties are then created, or it might be that someone else becomes leader, and the two sides continue fighting one another until one wins out.

 

[Gonzo]

I'll just echo what everyone else has said. This was a great TL which I greatly enjoyed. One point I did love was the little subtle butterflies caused by events in this TL, such as events in the US and elsewhere. Its stuff like that which makes TLs like this even better. So great work overall @Politibrit!

 

[Psmith]

Great TL! It was amazing, not to mention a little unnerving, to see it progress from a familiar yet alien recent past to a familiar yet alien present, all through the rise of one party in a surprisingly realistic series of events. Spectacular and sterling stuff, well done!

 

[diestormlie]

This was an awesome TL. And ending it there. Tease.