It threatens to be a slow death, as Labour decays steadily towards defeat in 2010. That, at least, is what plenty in the party fear after a horror show of a performance in local elections across England and Wales.

This was more than the traditional bloody nose administered by a restless electorate halfway through a parliament. That much was clear from the sheer scale of the punch.

Labour did not just trail the Tories, as they had done in previous council contests. They were 20 points behind.

many of those that Labour would think of as its core voters abandoned the party. Angry over the abolition of the 10p tax rate, too many were ready to stay home or even break the habit of a lifetime and vote Conservative. One phone-in show yesterday had ex-Labour supporters queuing up to denounce their party - and its leader - for no longer seeming to know what they are for.

Labour is about to enter the twilight.