Share

Labour’s failure means a one-party state

Many so-called “moderate” MPs will also declare that they won’t split the party if the veteran socialist wins as expected.

Advertisement

But, whether he can hold the party together; when his parliamentary group challenged his leadership after the referendum on European Union membership, Mr Corbyn could not master the support of 51 MPs required for his nomination.

As soon as Mr Corbyn was elected for the first time a year ago, Mr Mann said he was not “remotely up to the job” of being Labour leader.

In an article for PoliticsHome, Mr Mann also lamented that many Labour members are “economically comfortable” with a Conservative government in power.

Last weekend, Corbyn participated in a debate with his challenger for the party leadership, Owen Smith, in front of an audience of Jewish voters organized by the Jewish Labour Movement and Labour Friends of Israel.

“Stop obsessing about the party issues and devote your considerable talent and experience to the one thing that really matters – the fast-approaching catastrophe of Brexit”, pleaded commentator Polly Toynbee in The Guardian, a newspaper read by many Labour supporters.

Following that June 23 vote, around 20 members of Labour’s shadow cabinet resigned and 172 out of the party’s 230 MPs backed a no confidence motion.

As polls closed at the end of a gruelling and bitter leadership battle, Mr Smith said he would continue to “loyally serve this party” after the result is unveiled on Saturday.

The video, “Five questions Corbyn supporters are exhausted of hearing”, was removed on Wednesday night from YouTube, but it still remains on Corbyn’s personal Facebook page, under the videos section though not on the news feed.

Around 640,000 people were eligible to vote in the election sparked by Mr Smith’s challenge.

But Corbyn’s aides insist that the result showed that his qualms about the European Union chimed with many Labour voters.

“I think we have to stick with one-member one-vote”, he said.

Yesterday, asked whether he would change in response to criticisms of his leadership style, he told the BBC: “Sadly for everyone, it’s the same Jeremy Corbyn”.

Mr Smith had held the Work and Pensions Secretary portfolio but he has no intention of re-entering the shadow cabinet if Mr Corbyn is named the victor on Saturday.

Looking to the future, he said: “I will build on the broad policy agreement that stretches across our party, based on a clear anti-austerity agenda”.

Mr McDonnell predicted that it would be “really tough” to get the 59.5 per cent of the vote achieved previous year.

A spokesman for Mr Corbyn said the video had been produced by Mr Corbyn’s campaign team, not his official office.

Speaking to the BBC, she suggested he could be pressured into staying on as leader until a natural successor “that’s acceptable to Momentum and the left emerges”.

Advertisement

She added that while her “heart and soul is still very much with what he stands for”.

Labour leadership election voting closes today, Corbyn set for big win