The Tories didn’t fail – at least not for the few they truly represented

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Kwasi Kwarteng and Liz Truss at the Tory party confernece in September 2022 (PA)

In her acceptance speech, Angela Rayner said that the Labour landslide was a reaction to 14 years of Tory failure. But I don’t think the Tories failed – they have been highly successful for the elite they represent.

Since 2010, the country’s top few per cent have seen their wealth quadruple, while most other people have seen their income drop. Bankers enjoy bonuses, while public sector pay has been substantially cut. The tax burden has been significantly switched from rich to poor while privatised utilities profiteer from monopolistic positions without hindrance.

Our railways are amongst the worst in the developed world, while being amongst the most expensive. These are all amazing achievements from a neoliberal perspective. The chief reason for their being ousted is that they didn’t persuade the electorate, as successfully as Reform, that immigrants were responsible for all this.

Dr Stephen Riley

Somerset

Positive, but not popular

Labour’s win is great news for the nation! But the idea that Keir Starmer has built up Labour’s popularity is simply not true. Half a million fewer people have just voted Labour, than under Jeremy Corbyn in 2019.

While the result shows many have given up on the Tory vote, the reduced voter turnout reflects the work Starmer still has to do to engage a disenfranchised nation.

Dr Bob Banks

Derbyshire

Sweet revenge

I’ve seen very few Tory politicians talking about the Covid pandemic other than as an excuse for the current state of the country. A pandemic of partying, contracts for useless PPE passed around to pals, denials and lies, all while ordinary people were unable to be present at loved ones’ deathbeds.

The majority of them seem to blame party divisions for the Conservative wipeout.

No.

Much of this was revenge from a justly angry electorate.

Paul Keeble

Manchester

Hitting the iceberg

And so we witness the crashing end of the Conservative government in its heaviest defeat ever, despite it having appeared until comparatively recently to be a seemingly unstoppable juggernaut.

People will no doubt pontificate on this result for some time but there can be no doubt that it was contributed to in no small part by Liz Truss and the lettuce debacle. It is hardly controversial; after all, this certainly isn’t the first time that we’ve seen the end of a gargantuan vehicle after an encounter with an iceberg.

Julian Self

Milton Keynes

A catalyst for change

As the Labour Party forms the new government, we urge them to heed the advice of its former shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, who said himself that the social care plans in the manifesto should have been more ambitious.

Strengthening the NHS is crucial, but the new government must recognise the critical role of a well-planned, robust social care system. We encourage the government to consider that delivering better care in the UK does not necessarily rely on spending more money, but rather identifying the wastage in the current system and exploring technological innovations which can remove these inefficiencies, to release more money and time. Tech-enabled care not only relieves the strain on an overwhelmed system, it also opens up care to everyone, making it accessible for all.

The Liberal Democrats’ success last night is a positive sign for the social care industry, as Ed Davey has said this morning that he and his party intend to put health and care at the heart of their agenda. We hope that having this influence in parliament will be a catalyst for change.

Jody O’Neill

CEO and Co-founder of Curam