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New reports on the 2019 election show Labour's conflicts aren't over
The GuardianSince the devastating 2019 general election result, few Labour members would disagree that their party’s campaign was chaotic. Confused messaging, panicky policy announcements and a forgettable slogan (“It’s time for real change”) all pointed towards that conclusion. But the messy details of the campaign are now emerging in a series of Times extracts from Left Out, a new book by two reporters from the paper, Gabriel Pogrund and Patrick Maguire.
By the time of the December election, mistrust between party colleagues had already undermined Labour’s chances. Just two weeks before polling day, a new strategist was brought in to work up ideas for winning back leave voters, an alternative slogan was introduced (“We’re on your side”), and a defensive approach to targeting seats began.
Brexit was a central factor in the election result, of course. It created a deep rift within the Labour left and split longtime friends and allies Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell. Those closest to the Labour leader felt that the shadow chancellor repeatedly overstepped the mark by siding with backbenchers in favour of a fresh EU referendum. Karie Murphy, Corbyn’s chief of staff, even told the authors that McDonnell “moved against both of us” and “it f****d our project”.
Phew, Keir Starmer might be tempted to think. That Brexit is now being done means Labour is no longer struggling with an existential issue that calls for bold answers on national identity (at least not in England – the Scottish constitutional question still looms). That’s one intractable problem out of the way. Of course, there is still much to be done to address the lingering crisis over antisemitism in the Labour party – but one member of Labour’s ruling body has reported that, with the help of frequent online meetings, the party is clearing its backlog of disciplinary cases.
By the time of the December election, mistrust between party colleagues had already undermined Labour’s chances. Just two weeks before polling day, a new strategist was brought in to work up ideas for winning back leave voters, an alternative slogan was introduced (“We’re on your side”), and a defensive approach to targeting seats began.
Brexit was a central factor in the election result, of course. It created a deep rift within the Labour left and split longtime friends and allies Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell. Those closest to the Labour leader felt that the shadow chancellor repeatedly overstepped the mark by siding with backbenchers in favour of a fresh EU referendum. Karie Murphy, Corbyn’s chief of staff, even told the authors that McDonnell “moved against both of us” and “it f****d our project”.
Phew, Keir Starmer might be tempted to think. That Brexit is now being done means Labour is no longer struggling with an existential issue that calls for bold answers on national identity (at least not in England – the Scottish constitutional question still looms). That’s one intractable problem out of the way. Of course, there is still much to be done to address the lingering crisis over antisemitism in the Labour party – but one member of Labour’s ruling body has reported that, with the help of frequent online meetings, the party is clearing its backlog of disciplinary cases.
