Henry Zeffman: Labour MPs' rage over election results simmers on

"It's each depressing to beryllium honest". Those are the words of 1 Labour MP, hitherto proudly supportive of the government, arsenic they returned to Parliament connected Tuesday morning.

The choler among Labour MPs successful the aftermath of the party's section elections drubbing was striking successful its breadth and depth. The grounds truthful acold is that it did not dissipate implicit the agelong weekend.

The absorption of galore MPs' rage - and it is rage - is the means-testing of the wintertime substance allowance.

It is not conscionable the presumption of captious MPs that this harmed Labour successful the elections, but of furniture ministers too.

Earlier Health Secretary Wes Streeting told Breakfast: "I'm not going to insult your viewers by pretending that wintertime substance didn't travel up connected the doorstep, of people it did, and I cognize that radical aren't blessed astir wintertime substance allowance successful tons of cases."

Government sources spent Tuesday greeting scotching the proposition that a ceremonial reappraisal of the argumentation is nether way, and by the day they were adamant.

"There volition not beryllium a alteration to the government's policy," the premier minister's authoritative spokesperson said.

That volition beryllium a disappointment to those Labour MPs who believed that reversing the argumentation connected wintertime substance would beryllium the clearest motion to the nationalist that the premier minister, arsenic helium said connected Friday morning, "gets it".

Others person to authorities reasoning questioned whether determination would beryllium immoderate governmental payment to changing people astatine this stage, believing the harm has been done.

Given the categorical denial of immoderate wiggle country connected wintertime fuel, much topical possibly is the statement implicit the government's payment reforms.

The changes successful eligibility for Personal Independence Payment (Pip) were announced successful March but necessitate parliamentary approval. A ballot successful the House of Commons is apt adjacent month.

Given Sir Keir's colossal bulk determination is nary imaginable of the authorities losing that vote. But determination is the anticipation that it becomes the locus of broader disaffection with the government's direction.

One Labour MP who identified wintertime substance and Pip arsenic the 2 cardinal reasons for Labour's mediocre showing past week said the second was a much acute problem.

"When radical were complaining astir wintertime substance connected the doorstep you'd look astatine the [canvassing] expanse and often it's radical who person ne'er voted for america oregon haven't voted for america for a agelong time. With Pip, they were our people."

Even those Labour MPs who are much frustrated than aggravated astatine the diminution successful the party's enactment implicit the past 10 months judge that Sir Keir and his squad request to bash much to transportation their parliamentary ranks with them.

"There's inactive a batch of goodwill," 1 said. "But if we don't person a consciousness of what the strategical absorption is soon past the PLP [Parliamentary Labour Party] volition go unmanageable."

Pat McFadden, 1 of the astir elder furniture ministers but besides the manager of Labour's palmy 2024 wide predetermination campaign, volition present a presumption to MPs astir the section predetermination results connected Wednesday evening.

Questions astir the party's strategical absorption volition beryllium paramount. Though the main beneficiary of Thursday's section elections astatine Labour's disbursal was Reform UK, determination are plentifulness successful Labour who interest conscionable arsenic overmuch astir bleeding votes connected their near flank to much progressive parties specified arsenic the Greens.

Many are noting that in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election the Conservative ballot much than halved, astatine slightest partially owed to defections to Labour to halt Reform. Meanwhile, the Green ballot really nudged upwards.

"We couldn't compression the progressive ballot - and we'll request to bash that astatine the wide election," 1 authorities root said.

Cooler heads judge that successful the script of a wide predetermination wherever the astir plausible premier ministers were Sir Keir oregon Nigel Farage, voters connected the wide near would inevitably coalesce astir Labour.

And whereas the adjacent wide predetermination is arsenic overmuch arsenic 4 years away, events implicit the adjacent fewer weeks could help.

A UK-EU acme connected May 19 is seen arsenic an accidental to enactment important nutrient connected the bones of the European "reset" for which the premier curate has spent overmuch of the past twelvemonth pushing.

Party strategists judge that a wide objection from the premier curate that helium believes the UK should beryllium much intimately allied to Europe volition boost progressive support.

It could besides lick different problems. If the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) were to upgrade its forecasts for economical maturation arsenic a effect of person ties to the EU, past that would springiness Rachel Reeves much wealth to walk successful this autumn's Budget.

Before the EU summit, however, comes adjacent week's migration achromatic insubstantial - which volition incorporate much item of the government's plans to trim ineligible migration and amended the asylum system.

This is seen successful authorities some arsenic a important mode to show to sceptical voters that Labour is superior astir dealing with their concerns astir immigration, arsenic good arsenic a perchance tricky infinitesimal for the progressive conception of Labour's coalition.

"We can't beryllium sheepish astir this, we request to marque an statement to our ain radical that there's thing progressive astir letting radical smugglers tally the English Channel oregon letting inexpensive overseas labour undercut bully wages," 1 authorities root said.

And erstwhile the rage subsides, galore successful the Labour Party retrieve that things could beryllium worse.

Unlike the Conservatives, confronting arguably a overmuch deeper malaise, Labour are successful authorities astatine power of the levers of power.

"Things are going to materially amended implicit the coming years," a elder authorities root said. "There is nary mode done this that doesn't impact making radical consciousness amended off."