TO anyone who has followed politics this year the success of the Conservatives, and crushing defeats for Labour in recent days, will have come as no surprise.

Traditionally the party in power does badly in by-elections and often struggles in council elections, but with many results now in it is clear it is the Tories celebrating.

I wrote a month ago Labour leader Keir Starmer had failed "to show leadership, holding the government to account, and doing what the leader of the opposition should do - oppose government policy".

A strong opposition is essential to democracy in this country, but we haven't been getting it.

The electorate rightly wanted to know in the run up to last weeks elections what the party's offer was to people, it's policies, but got few answers.

It makes you wonder if the Labour leader assumed, after the Tories' largely poor handling of the coronavirus crisis, they could simply turn up and win.

The reality is the buck stops with Starmer. Yet the sacking of Angela Rayner, and an imminent reshuffle, all appear to be an attempt to shift blame elsewhere.

The question now is how long can the under pressure Labour leader last?