Apathy. No momentum. Low turnout. A general sense of disengagement. The result: a limp landslide that was baked in from the start and barely impacted by the campaign.

Sound familiar? No, this isn’t the ongoing campaign we’re enduring, but what happened back in 2001 – often cited as “the most boring election” in recent political history. It was so boring that the BBC was forced to conduct a major review of its political coverage after poor ratings, in an effort to recapture a nation which had essentially tuned out of politics.

This palpable sense of ennui surrounding the 2024 campaign shouldn’t exist. As both the Conservatives and Labour are trying to remind voters, this could prove a deeply consequential election.

If the Reform vote solidifies come polling day, Sir Keir Starmer will be handed a so-called “supermajority” that will allow him to radically bend and rebuild the state to his personal will.

Some of the most enduring legacies of the Blair era – the devolved parliaments, Supreme Court and Human Rights Act – all come from his first term and a reiteration of this might be heading our way very soon.

Not that you would know it from the campaign. So with stakes so high, why has this campaign felt so listless?

First, it might be the fact that the result has been a foregone conclusion since before it began. Prior to Rishi Sunak calling the surprise poll, YouGov put Labour’s lead on 22........

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