The week began badly for Labour but it ended with the Conservatives in ever-deepening trouble.
By Tuesday, Sir Keir Starmer's party was in turmoil. It pulled its support for Rochdale by-election candidate Azhar Ali on Monday (February 12) after it emerged he had suggested Israel allowed its citizens to be killed in October to give it the green light to invade Gaza.
Mr Ali apologised for the comments, calling them "deeply offensive, ignorant and false". Sir Keir suspended Mr Ali and removed his party's support for him, but it was too late to replace him on the ballot for the February 29 by-election.
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The leader of the opposition was criticised for not acting quickly enough over the situation. He insisted that he took "decisive action", but Martin Forde - who led the 2022 review into antisemitism in the Labour Party - said the handling of the Rochdale situation had been "pretty shambolic". Matters were to get worse, however.
The party's candidate for Hyndburn in Lancashire, Graham Jones, was suspended on Tuesday - also over remarks about Israel. The controversy was escalating into a crisis and Sir Keir was enduring probably his worst spell since becoming Labour leader.
Fortunately for the Labour Party, Conservative failure was soon to dominate proceedings. Thursday brought the news that the UK fell into recession at the end of 2023 - the Office for National Statistics estimated that gross domestic product fell by 0.3% in the fourth quarter of 2023, following a decline of 0.1% in the previous three months.
So much for Rishi Sunak's pledge to have the economy growing by the end of 2023. He couldn't dwell on that failure for too long, however - there were other things to worry about.
Mr Sunak's party was defending majorities of 18,500 and 11,200 respectively in the Wellingborough and Kingswood by-elections as voters went to the polls on Thursday. Losing yet more Tory safe seats - after Labour claimed headline victories in Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire in October - would be another milestone on this government's slow and painful death.
The Prime Minister woke up on Friday with two fewer seats. A huge 28.6% swing saw Labour win Peter Bone's old seat of Wellingborough, while a 16% swing saw the opposition claim Kingswood.
A week that began with Labour in disarray ended in disaster for the Tories. Two thumping Labour victories provided yet more evidence that this party is en route to Downing Street - its response to chaos underlined the clinical political operation it has become.
That said, the timing presented Labour with a real slice of luck. The recession news took the heat off Labour before the party stormed to victory in by-elections that it was actually the favourite to win, despite the seats being former Tory strongholds.
The Rochdale by-election will be a cause for concern, but for now, Labour can revel in a comeback which saw the party spin the week on its head.
For so long, the Labour Party had a real problem with capitalising on Tory failure. A government blunder would be followed by Labour managing to make a show of themselves, letting the government off the hook.
It has gone the other way this time. You can tell the Prime Minister is scared.
Many people have suggested he should call an election as soon as possible to stop the bleeding. That is a situation which is remarkably embarrassing for Mr Sunak.
These two results have reinforced just how much trouble the Conservatives are in. The talk is not whether they can turn matters around, it is whether a dying government can save itself any further humiliation.
That narrative is rare and a true gift to Labour. The Prime Minister's comments on Friday, having just lost the two seats, shows he is left to clutch at straws as power falls from his grasp.
Mr Sunak told broadcasters: "A vote for anyone who isn't the Conservative candidate, whether that's Reform or anyone else, is just a vote to put Keir Starmer in power.
"That's the actual choice at the general election, between me and him, between the Conservatives and Labour. Now I believe our plan is working."
He's kidding nobody.
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Rishi Sunak says his plan is working - after another shambolic week, does anyone believe him?
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18.02.2024
The week began badly for Labour but it ended with the Conservatives in ever-deepening trouble.
By Tuesday, Sir Keir Starmer's party was in turmoil. It pulled its support for Rochdale by-election candidate Azhar Ali on Monday (February 12) after it emerged he had suggested Israel allowed its citizens to be killed in October to give it the green light to invade Gaza.
Mr Ali apologised for the comments, calling them "deeply offensive, ignorant and false". Sir Keir suspended Mr Ali and removed his party's support for him, but it was too late to replace him on the ballot for the February 29 by-election.
READ MORE: Try the Liverpool Echo Premium app and get the first month free
READ MORE: Get Grand National updates straight to your phone by joining our new WhatsApp community
The leader of the opposition was criticised for not acting quickly enough over the situation. He insisted that he took "decisive action", but Martin Forde - who led the 2022 review into antisemitism in the Labour Party - said the handling of the Rochdale situation had been "pretty shambolic". Matters were to get worse, however.
The party's candidate for Hyndburn in Lancashire, Graham Jones, was suspended on........
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