Despite inching ahead in recent polls and retaining their seat in Erdington on Friday, Labour’s top brass are still seemingly more concerned with holding the seats they already have than actually winning new ones. In a new email sent to Labour MPs, the party introduced its new “Labour Hold Training Programme”, which aims to give MPs and their teams “the skills they need” to hold their seats at the next election, whenever it’s called. Which would suggest they don’t think MPs have those skills already… 

In an email sent out on Friday, the training programme for MPs set out the offer:

“We wanted to get in touch to introduce you to our new training programme as we prepare for the next election — the Labour Hold Training Programme.
This new programme is aimed at giving you, your teams and your campaigners the skills they need to help you hold your seat at the next election, whenever it is called.
Labour Hold will include sessions run by experienced members of Labour Party staff and cover topics that will help your campaigns locally, from giving you the skills and resources to help you fundraise through to understanding how to mobilise your local members and activists.”

Holding is obviously not advancing. Some might think it signals that Labour strategists think the party’s narrowing lead might not be as solid as some think…