MAIL COMMENT: Labour's fortunes sink to a new low

Grim-faced and defiant: Gordon Brown at Warwick University in Coventry today Grim-faced and defiant, Gordon Brown insists he is 'getting on with the job'. Trades unionists in Warwick rally round with a standing ovation. Ministers issue affirmations of support. But even as Labour circles its wagons, there is no escaping the fact that the debacle in Glasgow East is a new low in the party's fortunes. Losing badly is becoming a habit: London's mayoral battle, by-elections at Crewe and Henley, dire opinion polls, defeat in the party's 25th safest seat... Now Labour's traditional hold on Scotland is no more. The party is outflanked at every turn by the SNP and could become as ineffective North of the border as it is in much of England. The implications for those - like this paper - who believe in the UK are serious indeed.... [read full story]