A nastier, more divisive Labour Party emerged from the ashes of the Grenfell tragedy in a year of political surprises

PEOPLE will remember the headlines of 2017 for many different reasons. The terror on our streets. Trump and Twitter. And the twists and turns of Brexit.

Or that moment on June 8 when Theresa May wiped out her majority and almost destroyed her own Government.

But for me there is a single enduring image — the horrific fire six days later which turned Grenfell Tower into a crematorium for 71 tragic souls.

Today its charred skeleton stands like a giant black tombstone on a political landscape divided by warring parties.

The catastrophe provoked outrage among survivors, relatives and friends. But it was fanned by partisan aggression which is now the hallmark of left-wing politics.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn blamed Tories for using Grenfell as an excuse for “social cleansing”. Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell disgracefully branded it “murder”.

Theresa May did herself no favours by heeding security advice and staying away for the first few days. She appeared cold and insensitive to one of the worst tragedies in living memory.

We must wait for the inquiry to decide what happened.

But we already know the blaze spread through flammable cladding installed under a Tory council in London’s super-rich Kensington and Chelsea — a toxic cocktail of coincidences.

Dozens of other tower blocks around the UK, many under Labour-controlled councils such as Camden in North West London, use the same sort of cladding.

That didn’t stop Labour turning this tragedy into a symbol of Tory greed and malice.

The dividing lines already disfiguring the political scene are now entrenched.

The world of Westminster give-and-take has turned ugly. Social media is routinely used to trash anyone who dares challenge the Leninist-Trotskyist tendency which now dominates Labour.

Extremists openly describe the Tories as “evil”. And this venom is not reserved solely for their opponents.

Activists are turning on their own Labour colleagues, taking over local parties and threatening non-Corbynites with deselection.

There has been precious little Christmas spirit among the “Comrades” this year. Blairites are running scared but have nowhere to hide. Labour is now indisputably “The Nasty Party”.

That hasn’t stopped millions of voters apparently turning left, inspired by evangelistic Glastonbury millennials singing: “Oooh, Jeremy Corbyn”. They seem oblivious to the sinister side of the genial looking sandwich muncher who embraces anti-Semitic ranters, IRA terrorists and Arab extremists.

Labour’s grassroots membership has soared to 550,000, with cash flooding in, while the Tories shrivelled to 150,000 at the last count and is still falling.

With a Corbyn cult on the march, its Messiah boasted: “I will be Prime Minister by Christmas.”

As Theresa May retorted in their last Commons clash this year: “He was wrong. I am. And the Conservatives are in Government.”

All by itself, that sums up a minor Christmas miracle.

According to Corbyn and bitter ex-Chancellor George Osborne, Mrs May should be toast.

Labour should be 15 to 20 points in front of the vilified Tories.

Brexit should have crashed in flames, with Britain pleading to rejoin the EU.

Instead, battered and bruised Mrs May is still rated by far the best option as PM.

Brexit talks are going better than anyone could have imagined — with a long, long way still to go.

Even Mrs May’s election meltdown has been eclipsed by once-mighty German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is struggling even to form a government.

By contrast, unpredictable Donald Trump is digging in for two terms after boosting wages and electrifying global markets with huge tax cuts.

And the United Nations has finally acted to stop North Korean madman Kim Jong-Un nuking the West.

We face plenty of problems in the year ahead.

But as the bells ring in the New Year, and despite getting the June election totally wrong, I will risk three predictions for 2018 and beyond.

First, Britain WILL reach a reasonable deal on Brexit and take back control over its own affairs.

In a few years we will wonder what all the fuss was about.

Second, the tide WILL turn against Remainers such as Tony Blair and George Osborne as Project Fear is trashed once and for all.

And best of all, Jeremy Corbyn will NEVER be Prime Minister, no matter how many Christmases pass with him as Labour leader.

So Happy New Year to you all.