Co-conspirators will recall a Leicester City Council candidate resting heavily on the endorsement of Keith “call me Jim” Vaz. In news that will shock few, Keith’s endorsement didn’t go down well with voters. Labour lost the previously safe seat of North Evington by a stonking 27% margin, with the winning Conservative candidate seeing a 32% gain in vote share. Considering the national context, that’s quite the result for the Tories…

An awkward and little reported dimension to the vote is that some on the ground say that Hindu voters are increasingly leaning Tory as the Muslim vote goes to Labour. What’s more, Keith didn’t just endorse the candidate; he took an active role in the campaign. A local source tells Guido that Vaz was out on the doorstep regularly, adding “his influence is shot to ribbons”. Neighbouring MP Andrew Bridgen was quick to reach a similar conclusion, saying the result showed the people of Leicester East had “finally had enough” of Keith. Better late than never…