Letter: Local elections: only a period of re-evaluation in the wilderness can save the Conservatives

Sir: I do not see any reason for the Labour Party or its leaders to claim victory in the council elections. One need not be a psephologist to understand that it is the Liberal Democrats who have benefited most at the expense of the Conservatives either due to the Conservative supporters registering a protest vote or not voting at all. Most of these voters will - as some of the mid-term council elections in the past confirm - vote Conservative at the next general election.

With the general election some three years away, the Labour Party still faces an uphill task. If the Labour leader continues to be silent and invisible, the chances of Labour becoming the next government are pretty slim.

Yours sincerely,

M. RIAZ HASAN

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6 May