Even with the best possible spin being applied, the election results thus far are far from encouraging for the Labour Party. Even under conditions of a pandemic and the worst economic slump in 300-odd years, the governing party, mired in sleaze allegations and with a far from glittering record, has emerged from its latest electoral test relatively content.
In Hartlepool, Labour not only failed to win back much of the Eurosceptic vote it lost to the Brexit Party in 2019, but failed to hang on to its existing vote share. True, Hartlepool was one of the most heavily Leave-voting constituencies in the 2016 referendum, but still...
The former MP for the seat, Peter Mandelson (who also knows something about spin), is unequivocal: Labour not only needs to turn a page, but open a new book.
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