CCHQ have sent round a rather rose-tinted memo celebrating candidates’ “energy, effort and dedication” which put the party in “a strong position” following what most would agree was actually a Tory wipeout. Patting themselves on the back for the achievement of losing 251 seats…

The email, dripping with misplaced optimism, goes on to thank candidates for everything they did, asking them to record the “immense hard work” of their campaigns. Guido suspects most candidates would rather forget one of the worst election defeats in history…

Read the full email below:

We hope that you have managed to have some rest and quality time with your loved ones since the end of the campaign.
It is thanks to your energy, effort and dedication that we were able to fight a professional campaign that has put us into a strong position for the fight back and rebuild.
You have a massive role to play in the weeks, months and years ahead as we start to rebuild and prepare for the next election.
When you have a spare moment over the summer we wanted to remind you to record all of your immense hard work on your Activity Log, this can be backdated to ensure all of your campaigning is recorded.
Attached is the ‘How to record an activity on the Activity Log’ guide. Please ensure your activity log is fully up to date by the 31st August as the form will close after this date.
Thank you again for all everything you’ve done over this campaign and have a well-deserved break.
Best wishes