Following the grim news for the Conservatives in the Times Radio focus group ahead of the Tiverton and Honiton by-election, comes news of another focus group, this time held in Wakefield ahead of the by-election there:

For these members of a focus group in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, there is only one story in town: rocketing energy and food bills.

At least two of the participants talk about “free days”, but they don’t mean free time; they mean days when they spend literally no money on themselves or their children. They’re going to the local park because it is one of the few leisure activities that doesn’t cost a penny…

For some, it seems inadequate to even call this a cost of living crisis, It’s a cost of living catastrophe. With the Bank of England governor this week warning about recession and “apocalyptic” further rises in food bills, the agony isn’t going to stop anytime soon…

Judging by this particular focus group, the Conservatives have a real problem with the Prime Minister himself. At the end of the session, only one 2019 Tory voter said they would still stick with the party. Others were either going to switch to vote Labour or just not vote.

The vitriol directed at Johnson over Partygate was real … Johnson was meant to be different, but it turned out he was no different after all. [The i]

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