When the dust settles, it will become clear it was also grim for Labour, since the result has entrenched an extremist leader whose views affront countless Britons.
Indeed, with the Lib Dems failing to make headway, meaning the return of two-party politics, any hope of a responsible Opposition of the centre-Left has been dashed for the foreseeable future.
This was a dreadful night for the Conservatives, Brexit and the future of this country
That said, it was far from the worst possible result. We will not have to endure, thank God, the nightmare of terrorist-sympathising, economically illiterate Marxists in Downing Street. In fact, Theresa May won 790,000 more votes than Labour — more, indeed, than Tony Blair’s landslide in 1997 — making Jeremy Corbyn’s ludicrous claim of victory ring decidedly hollow.
There were other consolations for the Conservatives —notably their strong revival in Scotland, where they made inroads into the nationalist vote, winning 13 seats where before they had just one. This was great for the Union, great for the Tories’ credentials as a truly national party and a huge tribute to the common sense of Scottish voters.
