Mondays Update From The Waugh Zone On Labour Politics Titled `CALM DOWN, FEAR'

* Paul Waugh

by Paul Waugh | Politics

Tom Watson has told all sides of the Labour party to ‘calm down’ amid intense speculation that there could be a challenge to Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership this summer. On SkyNews’s Murnaghan, the deputy Labour leader was tried to pull the party together ahead of these crucial May elections.

Watson put his finger on just why some on the Left were wrong to push for a change in the leadership rules this July - pointing out it would give the ‘moderates’ the excuse they need to act before it was too late.

“There are people in the party who are trying to change the rules in order to try and protect Jeremy’s position - and they might just be precipitating a challenge to his leadership because of that.” The Left counters that the ‘moderates’ don’t seem to need any excuse to try to get rid of Corbyn.

But last week’s speeches by Rachel Reeves, Dan Jarvis (and don’t forget Chris Leslie did one too), were certainly seen as tanks on Corbyn’s lawn by some around the leadership. On Radio 4’s Westminster Hour last night, Reeves confirmed she’d turned down the chance to join McDonnell’s council of economic advisers. And she said something that caught my ear. When asked if a leadership challenge was brewing, she didn’t directly deny that one was, saying only: “That’s not what these speeches are about”.

It was interesting the way some of the party mobilised on Saturday to defend Jarvis from Ken’s ‘Savile’ attack. NEC member Johanna Baxter wrote to Ken demanding an apology, so too did Martin Taylor, the hedge fund manager who has donated to Jarvis’s office. And most damaging was ITV’s scoop that the ex-Mayor had himself trousered £8k from a hedge fund. This one will run and run.

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

Posted by Bobby Benson on Tuesday, 15 March 2016