Conservatives in Welwyn-Hatfield had a good election night on Thursday 5 May, losing only 2 of 28 council seats on the borough council despite being behind in the polls nationally, with a public angry about breaches of Covid laws by members of the Conservative Government. The Conservatives were also devastated as one of their best assets, longstanding local Labour leader Kieran Thorpe, lost his council election. Although Labour gained 2 seats, they also lost 1 to the Liberal Democrats, meaning a net gain of a mere 1 seat for the group.

Former Labour Councillor Kieran Thorpe and Former Labour Leader. Not the sharpest tool in Keir Starmer’s box.

When I was a school leaver, just entering university, Welwyn Hatfield Council was controlled by the Labour Party. Two large political groups fought each other for control of the local authority. British local government elections have always tended to go against the national government – the public wisely keen to distribute power between parties. After nearly 18 years of Conservative rule they had handed much of local government across the UK to Labour.

Yet now, 25 years later, despite the Conservatives having had nearly 12 years in government, the Labour group on the council only holds 10 seats, slightly outmatched by the Liberal Democrats on 12. Nationally, Labour has only a single Parliamentary seat in Scotland and has failed to make headway in regaining the so-called, “red wall” constituencies.

Why have the Conservatives had such good results locally? Why is Labour failing to make headway in the Borough or nationally?

At a local level, the Conservatives in Welwyn Hatfield have benefited enormously from the hardworking and popular local Member of Parliament Grant Shapps. His popularity has translated into an active Conservative Association membership which can be relied upon for funding and for volunteers. The Conservatives also have a large incumbent group of councillors, each of whom is also inherently likely to donate and campaign. The efficient management of the Association’s finances has enabled them to run effective campaigns from a bright office near the centre of Hatfield. Labour meanwhile have a less … salubrious … office, in a converted betting shop in High View – a more remote area.

The availability of funding has in turn meant the Association can afford to employ a young, enthusiastic election agent, Nathaniel Chapman who can marshal the resources available efficiently.

Welwyn Hatfield Conservatives, as well as the Liberal Democrats, have also benefitted from the sheer loathsomeness and incompetence of the local Labour leader Kieran Thorpe. Despite spending a significant amount of time trying to damage opponents by mining their social media, Kieran himself has had numerous faux-pas, which led to his Twitter account being private on multiple occasions. Previous classic MHN coverage includes, “Local Labour Leader Claims Not to Know Age of Consent!” and, “Into the Gutter – Shamed Kieran Thorpe’s Desperate Discriminatory Remarks”. Coverage by the Welwyn Hatfield Times includes, “‘Tories are vermin’ Tweet sparks row” (archive), “‘Vermin’ row re-ignited between Welwyn Hatfield Conservative and Labour groups” (archive) and “Welwyn Hatfield Labour leader defends himself in celebrity Twitter row” (archive). Locally, Labour seems far less enticing when reading about its leader’s antics.

Regardless, Kieran has indeed carved himself a legacy in local political history. For 49 years since it was founded in 1973, the local council has been run by Labour or the Conservatives, with the other in second place. Kieran Thorpe’s legacy will forever be as the man who took Welwyn Hatfield Labour into third place on the local council, losing his own seat in the process on a day of Labour gains.

At a national level, Labour Leader Keir Starmer is a man with no exciting nor appealing message and a failure to provide moral or political leadership. According to the Skwawkbox, under Starmer Labour’s membership has actually fallen by around 200,000 during a long Conservative government (archive). The Northern Echo, meanwhile, has just broken the story that Starmer is to be re-investigated over lockdown parties, alleged to be in breach of the Covid laws then in force (archive).

Chapter 1 of the Labour Party Rules makes their goal a, “just society”. Chapter 2 attempts to legally enshrine injustice and unfairness in the Labour Party rules.

Most ironically of all, the so-called Party of social justice has recently changed its rules to allow Kier’s faction greater freedom to expel opponents by explicitly attempting to exclude due process and natural justice from its expulsion rules. Whilst your author’s legal opinion is that this has not been incorporated into the contract, it is grimly farcical. In Chapter One, Clause IV of its rules, Labour says that its goals are a just society. In Chapter 2, Clause I D it states that, “Neither the principles of natural justice nor the provisions of fairness in Chapter 2, Clause II.8 shall apply to the termination of Party membership pursuant to Chapter 2, Clauses I.4.A and C”. Labour talks about a, “just society” and “social justice” whilst attempting to literally and in a legally binding sense make itself the party of injustice and unfairness.

The Conservatives at local and national levels have worked hard, but have much to thank their opponents for.