Five ways Keir Starmer could still blow it

Labour scored a significant victory in the Rutherglen by-election, but there is a year until the general election, writes John Rentoul – and they must navigate policies from tax to small boats to prevent a last minute capsizing

Keir Starmer’s Labour Party is currently 17 points ahead of the Conservatives – quite a buffer (PA)

The Rutherglen by-election was an excellent result for Labour. All those people, including me, who said that there was no enthusiasm for Keir Starmer among the electorate have to accept that, for someone to whom the voters are indifferent, he leads a party that wins a lot of votes.

Coming after a remarkable result in rural Selby in July, which was obscured by the Conservatives holding on in urban Uxbridge, the latest by-election reinforces Scotland-wide opinion polls that suggest Labour could win 20 seats from the Scottish National Party. That, in turn, makes it easier for Labour to win a Commons majority, needing to be 5-8 points ahead of the Tories in national vote share.

This gives Labour, currently an average of 17 points ahead, quite a buffer for the year until the likely date of the general election.