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| * Paul Waugh |
by Paul WAUGH | Politics
For some Labour MPs, it’s not Jeremy Corbyn who worries them most, it’s John McDonnell. The Shadow Chancellor didn’t win round many of them at the PLP last night, but he could inflame things even further.
The Times’s Rachel Sylvester says he is due to speak tomorrow at a “Keep up the Momentum” meeting of the Labour Representation Committee, Waltham Forest Branch, where left-wingers are trying to seize key party positions and have discussed ousting Stella Creasy. Yes, on the same day as the Autumn Statement.
On Thursday, the Hounslow branch of Momentum is due to be launched by Andrew Fisher, the Corbyn adviser who was suspended from the Labour party. If Fisher is reprieved by the NEC, which was the speculation yesterday, this is one to watch. If a social media ‘code of conduct’ (first revealed on HuffPost) tries to censor MPs, it could get even more hairy.
Sylvester has this quote from one MP: “People know he’s not up to it. Every day that goes on more damage is done.”
The Times meanwhile splashes on a poll showing that 2/3 of Labour supporters think Corbyn is doing well (compared to 3/5 of the public think he’s doing well). As I said yesterday, the most fascinating line in Corbyn’s weekend speech was on ‘indicative ballots’ for members. Well, this poll suggests that things could go his way in this titanic battle between MPs and Corbyistas.
Oldham is worrying some in the party as they see the Corbyn ‘shoot to kill’ effect on the doorstep. The Times poll suggests that even in the north of England 42 per cent of people support the Tories, compared to 36 for Labour, while in the southeast it is a devastating 55 to 18 per cent.
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* Paul Waugh is the Executive Editor, Politics, HuffPost UK.
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