The elections were a blue murder for the Conservatives, says Nick Ferrari

Well, what did they expect? A party that had descended into a disorganised rabble and inflicted five prime ministers on us over 14 years – some of whom we didn’t even vote for – as well as seven chancellors, gets a kick in the ballots.

Let there be no doubt: this was blue murder for the Conservatives as they fell to a humiliating drubbing.

And, regrettably, they deserved every last bit of it.

Seats held by previous Tory prime ministers were lost, and when places such as Maidenhead and Witney fail to return Tories you know how grim a night it was.

And that’s not even mentioning the shortest serving PM of all time, Liz Truss, who was also booted out of her South West Norfolk constituency.

But that was then, this is now – and after a bit of welcome sleep, it will be time for the rebuilding to begin.

The stark truth that will dawn on the Labour Party, probably before it does on the country, is that there is such a thing as too large a majority. If the new government – and all congratulations to Labour for the stunning, historic victory – is to be held to account, the radically reduced ranks of Tories have a key job to do.

The last time the Conservatives were hurled into the political wilderness they spent a long 13 years charting their course back into the spotlight. Indeed, at times it almost appeared they might not be able to pull it off.

There were mistimed restarts that failed to attract the support of much of the party, let alone the country, and so the direction they choose now is crucial.

Spooked by Reform – millions of votes but just a handful of seats under our increasingly unrepresentative system – the most likely reaction will be to go back to “our Conservative roots” – but that would be a mistake.

Politics is increasingly being played in the centre and parties that veer off on either side learn that to their cost.

Look at Labour’s disastrous performance under Jeremy Corbyn. And the way the Tories did eventually engineer their comeback was under the skilful leadership of David Cameron.

He read the political runes and positioned the party in the middle – and not for nothing did they get over the line courtesy of Nick Clegg’s Liberal Democrats, who crucially saw the Conservatives as more natural bedfellows than Labour.

Therefore the challenge facing the Conservatives is every bit as big as the one Sir Keir Starmer faced when he took over the Labour Party four years ago.

To unite a party that has Suella Braverman and Dame Priti Patel in its forward ranks, as well as James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat, and to put behind them memories of their worst night in their near 200-year political history.

Watch this space!