THE OBSERVER: This is the ‘big squeeze’ election – with Brexit still the driving force

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Here are two numbers to bear in mind this election season: 83% and 23%. The first is the combined haul of the Conservatives and Labour in the 2017 general election, the highest since 1970. The second is their combined share in this year’s European parliament elections, the lowest in a nationwide poll since the mass franchise was introduced. In two years, the big two parties went from a once-in-a-generation high to an all-time low. As another election approaches, they are both working to claw these losses back. Downing Street awaits for the party best able to recover its lost support. Welcome to the “big squeeze” election.