On election night 2019, Labour supporters watched in horror as the count revealed Labour's worst election performance in recent history. In the wake of the party's worst night "since 1935", Labour members and analysts attempt to dissect what went wrong. Was it the party's stance on Brexit? An unpalatable leader in Jeremy Corbyn? Or a misguided election strategy?
The manifesto
Unlike in 2017, when a strong manifesto carried Labour within a hair's breadth of victory, the 2019 manifesto was ill-thought-out.
No preparation
Labour failed to lay the necessary groundwork for many of the policies contained in its 2019 manifesto.
Labour's election strategy was misguided. It wasted resources on trophy seats and failed to recognise the need to shore up campaigns in Labour's Northern heartlands.
Momentum only helped friendly candidates
Rather than helping the party as a whole, Momentum acted as a party within a party, only lending assistance to candidates aligned with its ideology.
The 2019 election was dubbed 'The Brexit Election' but Labour's Brexit policy was confusing, ill-defined, and failed to acknowledge the will of the people.
No clear message
Labour stalled and delayed the announcement of its Brexit position. The end result was a muddle Brexit policy that failed to land with voters.
Phil Wilson, the Labour candidate who succeeded Tony Blair in Sedgefield summed it up when he said "the party's leadership went down like a lead balloon on the doorstep."
Weak on anti-Semitism
Allegations of anti-Semitism have been rampant in the Labour party for the last three years. Corbyn was ineffective at stamping anti-Semitism out of the party.
The age divide between Labour and Tory voters, as well as class and racial divisions, played to the Conservatives' favor.
Labour lost its hold on working-class voters
The Corbyn led Labour was unable to hold onto the working-class voters that once helped them retain power. Corbyn's manifesto was too radical for rural heartland voters to support.
While never a haven for the Tories, Scotland once provided a solid result of Labour seats. In the last decade, calls for Scottish Independence have shifted the party support and lost crucial Labour votes.
