Scandals, Chaos and Cynicism

When Labour won power, they promised a clean break from the sleaze, chaos, and cynicism that defined the previous decade. A year on, their political rivals are desperate to expose the fragility of that promise, and its perceived hypocrisy.

A warning came last week in Caerphilly, where Plaid Cymru pulled off a historic victory in what was once a rock-solid Labour seat. Reform surged into second place, while Labour, long dominant in this Welsh heartland, limped to a distant third with barely 11 per cent of the vote. A year ago, such a result would have seemed unthinkable. Now, it feels symptomatic of something deeper: voters are increasingly frustrated with major parties making big promises during elections and then failing to deliver on them.

Starmer’s promise of competence and integrity is hard to sustain when senior figures continue to stumble. The Deputy Leader’s resignation over a personal scandal, followed by recent headlines around the Chancellor’s landlord issues, has given opposition parties hope of eroding its moral advantage. None of these taken alone, approach the scale of the sleaze and scandal that helped propel Labour into office. But context matters. Labour promised to be different and when your entire pitch is probity, even small lapses can be cast as betrayals. A missed rental licence, underpaid stamp duty, a hint of hypocrisy - each chips away at the image of integrity.

Public patience is waning. Polling from YouGov and Ipsos shows trust in politicians and Parliament still scraping historic lows despite the change in government. Among those who backed Labour in 2024, the dominant mood appears to be disappointment. Yet, as Caerphilly shows, disillusion doesn’t always translate into apathy.

The political landscape beneath the two main parties is splintering, and every fresh controversy, however minor, accelerates the shift. Labour needs a positive narrative to take hold quickly. As it stands, the message resonating most is that the higher you set your moral bar, the harder the fall when you miss it.