The Labour Party has a talent for losing elections. Over the last century, it has held office for just 33 years and has produced just six prime ministers. The Conservatives, by comparison, have held office for 67 years and produced 14 prime ministers.
It is the burden of history that explains Labour’s caution at the outset of this election year. “You’d think we were level-pegging with the Tories, not 18 points ahead,” said one aide of the disciplined mood at the party’s headquarters in Southwark, central London.
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