Read Paul Waugh's Latest Take On Labour Leadership Titled "RHETORIC REALITY CHECK"

* Paul WAUGH

by Paul Waugh | Politics

Jeremy Corbyn’s personal views and Labour policy are not the same thing. That’s quite a novel phenomenon for any party leader and it’s a reality that Westminster is only just getting its head round.

Yet for those Labour MPs who have joined his Shadow Cabinet (and we will get his full shadow junior posts by close of play today), the fact that policy is set by the party, and not the leader’s diktat, was a key factor in their decision to join the Corbyn caravan. 

Corbyn’s EU statement to the BBC last night was as categoric as he could be that he will make it a 2020 manifesto pledge to stay in the EU. Although he argued he still didn’t want to give Cameron a ‘blank cheque’ on his renegotiation, his words made clear he’d been forced by colleagues to stick to the current policy: 'We have to stay in Europe...that would be a manifesto commitment up to 2020'. (He muddied the waters slightly later, when asked if he had the final say on policy and replied ‘Yes’).

In the Guardian, new Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Owen Smith set out a new tone on benefits. But he also warned against over-interpreting Corbyn's TUC line about wanting to “remove the whole idea of the benefit cap”. Smith said “extrapolating from a line in a speech” did not give a s"ufficiently nuanced position”. “The difference is between one short line in a speech, and the rather more necessarily complex policy. You can’t necessarily extract from rhetoric into the complexity of the detail”.

* Labour Party Leader: Jeremy Corbyn 

Yes, you can’t extract from rhetoric into the complexity of the detail. That sums up the Corbyn/Labour axis right now.

The Indy reports on another area of ‘rhetoric’ on the leadership campaign trail that some want Corbyn to act on. He spoke of the need for “all grammars to become comprehensives and end the 11-plus where it still exists” and is now being pressured to make it Labour policy to end grammars.

Mark Carney gave a gentle warning over another bit of rhetoric on Corbynomics, a ‘people’s QE’. Kerry McCarthy told Wato yesterday: “What is our new economic policy... because I certainly don’t know yet,” Our economic policy has not changed as far I’m concerned. It is still the policy that we stood on in the manifesto.” McCarthy said that there “would be an issue” if Mr McDonnell tried to dictate policy.

John McDonnell, who has criticised Ed Balls’ decision to make the Bank of England independent, is on Question Time tonight. As are Alex Salmond and Liz Truss. Could be a corker. I’d expect McDonnell to condemn IRA violence but it’s his views on the economy that will be worth hearing.

* Paul Waugh is the Executive Editor, Politics, HuffPost UK.