This is a global player original podcast.

Hello. Three minutes after ten is the time. You are listening to James O'Brien on LBC where all eyes are on a screen. Unless you're in the room that's on the screen, in which case all eyes are on a door, or possibly a podium. So if you are a little bit confused by this moment, if you've just tuned in,

the Prime Minister, Sir Kea Stama, is set to give a speech that was not scheduled until those

council election and Welsh and Scottish election results came in. And they were, albeit nowhere

near as bad as some of the worst predictions, they were by any measure catastrophic. Catastrophic is not like unique, one of those words that you cannot have gradations of. I don't know if you're aware of this, because so many people misuse the word, but you cannot have gradations of unique. Something is either unique or it is not unique. It can't be more unique than something else. Catastrophic, as an adjective, is not like unique. You can have levels of catastrophe.

So they were catastrophic results. They could have been more catastrophic. They could have

been less catastrophic. But they were nevertheless catastrophic. And that is why the clamour for

change is becoming or has become unignorable. I will cross live to the room where it happens as soon as Kirstama

looks as if he's, well, as soon as he appears, frankly, behind the podium and looks set to

start speaking. I imagine there'll be an introduction from somebody that journalists then

scramble to identify and then Kirstama himself will come to the stage, which puts us in a

characteristically tricky

position, doesn't it? We all go a little bit Dimbledby at times like this because my job basically

is to just not stop talking. That's the only thing they're worried about. They're not even worried

about what I might say in these circumstances. They're worried almost exclusively. Oh, we're going

to cross to the room now.

I did warn you.

Kirstnomer is still in the front row, though.

So, mystery person introducing.

I spent the last few months in Wakefield knocking on more doors than I could possibly count.

And like many of you here, I was devastated to see the results come in and watch brilliant,

hardworking friends lose their seats.

...