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A focus group of non-voters in the city, carried out by More In Common for the Guardian, offers further evidence of the depth of those feelings.

“I work for the NHS so nothing good comes out of elections for me … no one cares,” said Hameder, a trainee nurse.

Research by More in Common and the UCL Policy Lab found most voters are only willing to give Labour less than a year to both blame the Tories for their problems and less than a year before they expect to see visible signs of improvement.

Luke Tryl, a former Tory adviser who runs focus groups for More in Common, says: “No one ever brings it up unprompted in groups. It’s like the forgotten event. People visibly recoil from the idea of reopening the debates.”

A third poll projected a Labour majority of 162, with the Conservatives winning 155 seats, one fewer than their record low in 1906. The More in Common poll had the Lib Dems making big gains from the Tories in the home counties and west country, leapfrogging the SNP into third place with 49 seats.