Polling in the aftermath of Labour conference tells a brutal story of a party that has already failed, writes Brandon Lewis

Labour’s 2025 conference was meant to be a reset moment, a chance to rally its base and restore public confidence after a bruising year in the polls. Instead, all that was on show was how far the party has fallen and the polls have not given them any real bump.

At its annual gathering Labour looked more divided than ever, and strikingly out of touch. Just 18 months into the largest parliamentary majority in a generation, Andy Burnham’s open challenge to Sir Keir Starmer shows the party is already flirting with leadership change. That alone speaks volumes. Much is made of the Conservatives’ recent turnover in leaders, but it’s worth remembering David Cameron led from 2010 to 2016. Labour is showing signs of crisis after barely a year.

The signs have been steadily building. Angela Rayner’s departure after her taxes debacle and Peter Mandleson’s painful resignation, strike at the heart of a government that promised “decency” and “trust”. Starmer’s decision to publicly back them in light of the allegations, only to U-turn far too late, proves how poor his political........

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