This time last year, Hartlepool Tories were rolling out the red carpet for Boris so he could pose next to a giant inflatable replica of himself following the party’s victory in the by-election. Jill Mortimer had become the first Tory to win the seat since 1959, and it was smiles all round. One year on, and the mood’s deflated…

Local Tories are now flooding letterboxes with leaflets which practically beg for voters’ forgiveness for all the bad press coming out of Westminster. At least two candidates have attached their signatures to this message:

“This Thursday, please don’t punish local Conservatives for the mistakes made in Westminster, we are local and proud of where we live, and like you, we want the best for Hartlepool.”

They’ve also stuck the EU flag next to Labour’s logo to remind their red wall voters who they’re really up against. One day to go…