Harman makes matters worse

As if the result in Norwich North were not bad enough, Harriet Harman has added to Labour’s woes with what appears to be an off-the-cuff comment of remarkable stupidity:

This is how Politics Home reports it:

13.11 Also on the World at One, Harriet Harman calls the result “very disappointing”.

She says: “It is really a reflection of the quite unprecedented circumstances.”

She also describes Theresa May as arrogant for saying she thought the Conservatives would win Norwich North in the general election: “I never take the voters for granted, I think that is arrogant.”

For a start, I know of no Conservative, Theresa included, who took the by-election result as a certainty; everyone worked flat out right up to close of polls.  A similar attitude will certainly prevail at the next general election.

Theresa May’s comment, as reported on the BBC website, is clear enough:

She added: “We’ve overturned a Labour majority of 5,500 to a Conservative majority of over 7,000. If we hold this seat at the general election, we’ll have a majority of over 100.”

I can’t see anything taken for granted there.

Furthermore, Harriet Harman should perhaps reflect on the extent to which Labour themselves have indeed taken certain sections of the electorate for granted over the years.

The fact that they can no longer rely on an unquestioning client voter base appears to have taken her by surprise – which may, in part, be the reason for her silly remark.

Perhaps, having reflected, she will now consider making an appropriate apology to Theresa May.