When the election campaign began, Labour had a comfortable lead in the polls and looked set for government – yet all was not well within the party. The mood was flat in many constituencies, with surprisingly little enthusiasm at the prospect of government despite 14 years in opposition.
This was exacerbated by anger at Labour’s official stance on Gaza and continuing support for the Israeli government, a mood extending to much of the party’s left wing, as well as the leadership’s determination to clamp down on internal dissent. Many of the 30 or so socialist-leaning Labour MPs had been keeping their heads down for months amid indications from multiple sources that there was a plan to purge progressive MPs during the quiet summer months ahead of a presumed November election.
Given that low mood at the start of the six-week campaign, how is Labour faring now that we’re halfway through?
