Star comment: Local votes so damning of Jeremy Corbyn

Such losses at local authority level are unprecedented for a party in opposition, while losing four out of the six metro mayor elections was disastrous.

Tom Watson has spent far more time than he'd like putting out fires since Mr Corbyn was first elected as Labour leader in September 2015.

At times he appears to have been the glue that has just about held together two very distinct factions.

With that in mind, it is probably not the greatest surprise to hear him admit that Labour faces an uphill battle in the General Election.

It is not all Mr Corbyn's fault.

The collapse of UKIP has played into the Conservatives hands, with many of those of a purple persuasion expected to transfer to the Tories en masse on June 8.

Then there is the Brexit effect, which appears to have led to significant numbers of working class anti-EU voters feeling better represented by Theresa May than by Labour.

But the overriding factor is the party leader's complete lack of appeal to the vast majority of the electorate.

Now Comrade Corbyn's red army will lay the blame for Labour's failures on the media and the 'disloyal' Labour MPs.

Yet such a narrow minded view fails to explain why in Dudley 14,000 more people voted for a Tory Mayor as opposed to a Labour one.

Later this week Labour is due to finalise its election manifesto, and you can guarantee there will be a fair few arguments over policy among leading party figures.

One area of particular interest will be Trident, where Mr Watson - and indeed the majority of the country - appear to be at odds with Mr Corbyn.

Sooner or later, the penny will have to drop that the majority of working people feel completely alienated by the tired and disjointed rhetoric of the new Labour left.

Yet Mr Corbyn and his acolytes refuse to take even a modicum of responsibility.

They continue to happily exist in a left-wing dream world, steadfastly believing that their barbed vision of a political revolution will somehow come to fruition.

John McDonnell, who proudly describes himself as an 'unapologetic Marxist', insists that Labour can win the General Election.

There is more chance of Bill Etheridge becoming Prime Minister.