Inconclusive local election results, a lower Labour poll lead and an opposition leader who refused 11 times in broadcast interviews to say whether he would do a deal with the Lib Dems mean that the C-word – coalition – is back in vogue and Labour is in a mess.
The party’s desire to monopolise opposition to the Tories is colliding with electoral reality. And the more Labour rejects the possibility of working with the Lib Dems, the Greens and the SNP, the more the supporters of these parties are incentivised to hold out and not vote tactically.
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