The Tories actually went backward in the elections so no improvement there. I thought very long & hard before defecting to Reform in the 2024 General election (my then sitting Tory MP had already defected) It does seem a pivotal moment a bit like the 1920's when Labour largely took over from the Liberals as main opposition. I once thought that Reform would be a junior partner in coalition with the Tories, I now think the reverse is more likely. That said I think the Tories will continue as a separate but smaller force (as the Liberals did). It now seems if you want a small state, pro business party in power it will be Reform (despite their at times lack of experience & professionalism). It is only economic success that allows the NHS, social spending etc. I doubt Reform could afford electorally to disband the NHS even if they wished to. Essential treatment should always be free at the point of need - but in France individual hospitals are sub contractors to government, some are run by charities. This means there is not one employer, preventing national bargaining & strikes (here junior doctors seem the new car workers / miners)
As to Labour leadership, there is no guarantee if Burnham stood in a created vacancy he would win, nor indeed his mayoral successor candidate would. Otherwise there are Far Left Angie, Milliband or Wes Streeting. The first two would make a worse mess than now, not sure of the third. Only way Labour could save themselves is to come out of EHCR & crack down on mass illegal immigration as these low skill / unemployable migrants are far more a threat to the native poor than to those further up the scale. The party has deserted the descendants of the people that it was supposed to help. Their 'liberal principles' would never allow this - they just leave the gates open & dump the result on places such as Telford, Stoke, Rotherham, Hull etc. I wonder if these with migrants welcome placards would be so keen if this wave was relocated to Marlowe, Hampstead, Poole, Henley
s, every last one of them 
