1. Lots of people on Twitter saying they don’t understand why or how people in Hartlepool can vote Tory, entirely oblivious to the fact that it is exactly that attitude why Labour are in such a deep hole in former red wall towns.

2. A perceived metropolitan elite talking down to people, implying they are stupid, does not go down well. Appearing to say “concentrate harder and try again” did not work in the campaign for a 2nd referendum and it won’t work now.

3. No point being in disbelief about Borris’s popularity. Try to understand why he is so genuinely popular, and respond.

4. Also understand how through the levelling-up agenda the Government has, for the first time of any government for generations, set out a positive vision for people and places who have previously felt forgotten about.

5. It is a vision based on jobs, growth, enterprise, infrastructure and pride of place, not public services. Complaints about austerity are legitimate, but people want a bigger vision for their areas that extends beyond the public sector.

6. It helps the Tories that metro mayors such as Ben Houchen are popular and, in the words of one commentator this week, are seen to “get shit done”. And effective and popular Labour mayors such as Andy Burnham and Council leaders help Labour too. Devolution works and is popular.

7. Campaigning and commentary on so-called “woke” issues are a massive turn-off to many people in the places that Labour needs to win back. Talking endlessly about low traffic networks, equalities issues, campaigning against airport expansion etc does not go down well.

8. And of course the Government’s big national projects - Brexit, saving the economy in the pandemic, and the vaccine roll out - are perceived to have been successful (against the odds). What are Labour’s big ideas?

9/9. I am not saying that I agree with the Tories, or disagree with Labour. This is just my analysis of what I think is happening.