A Proving Ground

Britain's centralised state makes our politicians worse

Six weeks from now, we will be digesting the results of the local elections. On the left, it is likely to be the night that solidifies the political collapse of Starmerism. The Labour Party looks set to haemorrhage votes. In towns and suburban areas, this will empower Reform as they eat up the Conservative vote and energise non-voters. In cities, left-wing opposition, especially the Greens, will be eyeing up major advances.

It feels almost a foregone conclusion that this will precipitate a leadership crisis. Being unpopular in polling is one thing – seeing it for real in the ballot box is another. Losing swathes of council seats will annoy the party faithful and make MPs restless. While the mechanisms for ousting a Labour leader are not as straightforward as those in the Conservative Party (which will likely fall into its own leadership crisis), the general rule that parties find a way to shed leaders who have run out of road remains.

As someone with no stake in Labour’s internal factions and power blocs, the Kremlinology is a secondary concern. What matters, and what the commentary has been oddly quiet about, is a simpler and more important question: who is likely to govern best? At the heart of this is another challenge – one of fiscal competence.