Corbyn addresses the Scottish Trades Union Congress on 24th April. Jane Barlow/PA Images. After repeatedly saying there would be no election before 2020, Theresa May u-turned again, announcing her plan for Britain to return to the polls this June. Her aim is to cement her leadership and wipe Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour off the map.
Timing is ideal for the Conservatives. As well as sweeping the election expenses scandal under the rug, the party enjoys a 20-point lead over Labour and faces little opposition from the right. UKIP has resumed its death spiral after a brief surge following Paul Nuttall’s election, and Aaron Bank’s new populist party is still yet to emerge. May hopes to profit from these wandering working class voters that years before would have voted Labour.
Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) will be in meltdown. In January, research from the Fabian Society suggested Labour could fall below 150 seats in a snap or 2020 election. Since then, little has improved. Following defeat at the Copeland by-election, the leadership asked for more time while they develop their policy programme. They now have less than 7 weeks until the polls open. In the upcoming local council elections, polls show Labour is on course to lose over 100 seats with major losses continuing in Scotland.
