Why the Labour leader's supporters should take this 'coup' seriously
For those around Jeremy Corbyn, the usual attack lines are evident in this latest round. They argue that plotters remain a group of Blairites who have long been seeking to destabilise a leader they believe is simply not up to the job.
But to interpret what is happening like this would be a mistake. This coup is far more dangerous for Corbyn than his team might think.
First, many will recall the list leaked earlier this year, drawn up by the leader’s office of where Labour MPs stand in support for the party leader.
What is striking is that a number of those MPs listed as ‘Core Group Plus’, who were seen as largely supportive of Corbyn, are turning on him.
Shadow cabinet ministers Lillian Greenwood (former Unison official), Vernon Coaker and Karl Turner have resigned; Karen Buk has called for Corbyn to stand down, along with Shadow Housing Minister Roberta Blackman-Woods.
As of midday, Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Owen Smith and Shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary Lisa Nandy, have also resigned, with Nandy calling for deputy leader Tom Watson to become caretaker leader of the party.
Add that to the news that the former Unite Official, Chris Matheson MP, has resigned as a PPS, and Corbyn’s problems are much wider than a right-wing plot to oust a left-wing leader.
Second, while MPs such as Emily Thornberry have argued that Corbyn’s euro-scepticism is in tune with working class northern heartlands, his failure to address the immigration issue has not played well.
And let’s remember the polling by YouGov in February which found that 81 per cent of Labour members planned to vote to Remain in the EU.
Corbyn’s lacklustre campaign to Remain will not have played well with members at all, hence the growing sense of concern among the grassroots of the party.
Third, Corbyn supporters cannot point to any evidence that they are on the path to some great general election victory.
Indeed, research seen by PoliticsHome suggests 150 Labour MPs could loose their seat if the next Conservative Leader calls a snap election. It includes MPs Ed Miliband, Stephen Kinnock, Michael Dugher, Yvette Cooper, Maria Eagle and Andy Burnham.
Fourth, Corbyn’s new strongly anti-trident Shadow Cabinet line-up rubs against Unite’s expressed policy position of favouring renewal to safeguard valuable jobs.
This is likely to cause considerable difficulty if Corbyn’s new team is to defy expectations and last anything longer than the next week or so.
The reality is that Corbyn is in trouble. He and his team now have their heads in the sand.
Ed Jacobs is a contributing editor to Left Foot Forward
16 Responses to “Four reasons this plot to oust Jeremy Corbyn is different”
CR
This is coup against a Brexit supporting leader by a bunch of pro-EU Blairites and is part of a wider move to attack the democratic will of the British people who voted with a majority of well over 1,000,000 votes to leave the EU.
Kathryn Hyde
Jeremy was very clear on immigration: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36570383
“I don’t think you can have one while you have the free movement of labour.
“I think the free movement of labour means you have to balance the economy so you have to improve living standards and conditions and so that means the European Union’s appalling treatment of Greece, particularly the European Central Bank as well as the European Union, that is a problem.
“If you actually deliberately lower living standards and increase poverty in certain countries in south-east and eastern Europe then you’re bound to have a flow of people looking for somewhere else to go.
“Surely the issue is an anti-austerity, a growth package all across Europe rather than this,”
Considering that the Leave leaders have now pretty much admitted they will not oppose the free movement of Labour within the EU, I am aghast that you continue to peddle the line that “his failure to address the immigration issue has not played well”.
Mason Dixon, Autistic
‘No path to election victory’, I took a look at the link and well, it’s based on constituencies which as a majority voted Leave but these are all people who despise and want rid of Corbyn. The same people criticising Corbyn’s referendum performance are the people who failed to convince their own constituencies to Remain. These are the people along with the resigned shadow cabinet members who should be de-selected; they won’t be fighting the next general election which will be fought if it is called soon on one question: will who ever wins trigger article 50 and negotiate our leaving the EU?
The Conservative Party leadership contest is going to be fought on this basis and there’s one problem- Boris Johnson is the only candidate who we are certain will fight it on the basis of ‘yes I will’ but it’s already obvious he doesn’t want to and never meant to win, so he can’t actually be trusted to do it as prime minister. His opponents in the contest will lose because the most trustworthy among them will fight on the basis of ‘no I will postpone article 50 indefinitely’.
There is only one politician in Britain who is a candidate for prime minister who we can be almost 100% certain will mean what they say when they make ‘I will activate article 50’ an election promise- Jeremy Corbyn. Far from indicating a massive defeat, the Leave vote in Labour held constituencies points to the easiest cakewalk by the least likely candidate in UK electoral history.
Jimmy Glesga
I am a Labour Party member and supported brexit. I do not think Corbyn and McDonnell can deliver an election victory so the leadership has to change. However blaming Corbyn for not being enthusiastic about remaining is just an excuse to get rid of him. I do think Corbyn was deep down a Brexiter but just followed the Labour mob.
Martyn Wood-Bevan
I think that this coup is an unbelievable waste of time and money. Too many Labour MP’s are genuinely out of touch with ordinary voters and need to find something else to do after any future general election.
If they had offered genuine support to Jeremy Corbyn he would be even better as a leader than he is now. He was the only previous leadership candidate with the ability to speak to many many people, had wisdom and insight the other candidates lacked and a refreshing style in the House of Commons which has led to many Govt. U-turns. This in spite of the PLP, which seem incapable of forming a coherent argument or new idea.