‘Even our safe seats are in play’: Tories despair at scale of byelection defeats

After a crushing week, MPs fear they will need a miracle to hold on to power

As Keir Starmer embarked on a triumphant victory dash, first to Bedfordshire then to Tamworth in Staffordshire on Friday morning, Tory MPs sitting at home digesting the bombshell byelection news had hit rock bottom.

Having pulled off two sensational wins overnight in previously safe Tory-held seats, the Labour leader was rubbing salt into their wounds. Starmer was obviously ecstatic, though straining to strike the right balance between expressions of elation and the necessary caution.