Birmingham University Labour Students

The result in Henley this morning was incredibly disappointing for the Labour Party. Richard McKenzie trailed fifth behind both the Greens and the BNP. His 1,066 votes amounted to less then 5% and he surprisingly lost his deposit. I do have to agree with what David Semple says on Though Cowards Flinch. Rhetoric from the Tories has reached unreasonable levels. This by-election last night was not a vote by the UK electorate and the likes of Grayling should not pretend it is a clear message for Gordon Brown.

BBC News, which I have on in the background, seem to be keen to pin the blame for this result on Brown. Let’s not forget the lay of the land in Henley. We have an electorate that are naturally hostile to the Labour Party. New Labour never won Henley after all. There was a popular outgoing MP in Boris Johnson. It is often said you either love him of loath him, I would suspect he gets proportionally more love in Henley. On top of this we have the economic difficulties of rising food and fuel costs, the credit crunch and uncertainty about the economy. Add to this the record leads that Cameron and the Tories have been notching up in recent polls and you realise you shouldn’t be surprised by last nights result.

On this I think it is worth paying tribute to the activists who undoubtedly worked their socks of in this by-election. Unfortunately this just wasn’t going to be our time.