What we learnt from Benn and Cooper’s victories – and why it matters for the PLP

I am not sure they were always this high-profile. In the world of Corbyn’s Labour, however, everything has changed and the status of select committee chairs has shot up like almost never before.

The occupants of these prized positions now have a chance to change politics and their own careers in a way that little more than a year ago they might never have considered. The chairmanships have assumed a public profile far beyond that afforded to even those like Chris Mullin, who carved a reputation as an effective watchdog on the Home Office.

This means, of course, that the results of yesterday’s elections to the home affairs and Brexit committees have been pored over for what they say about the state of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP). So here’s my guess:

1. Corbynsceptics are getting on with the day job. Peace in the PLP is a little bit closer after two leading backbenchers found new challenges. Of course, neither Benn nor Cooper have been among the chief antagonists of the last year but their decision to pursue the chairs’ job – along with Chuka Umunna and Caroline Flint – sends a message to colleagues that they are expecting Corbyn to be at the top of the party for many more years and are planning for rather different political projects.
2. There is life after the shadow Cabinet. Benn and Cooper were cool on Jeremy Corbyn for different reasons but have ended up in the virtually the same place. Benn, one of those who wanted to “make it work” with Corbyn before he was sacked as shadow Foreign Secretary after nine months, and Cooper, who declined to serve in the first place, now have a major platform to hold the Government to account at a time of the massive social and economic change that will come as a result of Brexit.
3. The backbenches will make a difference on policy. Select committees were already an important part of democracy but they were, perhaps, best known for delivering roastings to public figures who had become high, mighty or incompetent, whether Rupert and James Murdoch or Lin Homer, the former chief executive of HMRC. You can expect this to continue but it’s possible that Cooper, Benn and others will want to propose more policy, as if they were still on the frontbench, which is where they have spent most of their political lives.
4. Corbyn and his allies are pushing back. It may not have been very public but the leader’s MP supporters backed Brexiteer Kate Hoey against Remain campaigner Benn in significant number. Dave Anderson, Ian Lavery and Clive Lewis are all thought to have voted for Hoey over Benn, who is disliked intensely by some left-wing activists – remarkably so, given that he is a mild-mannered man. Meanwhile Paul Flynn was a late entrant into the race for the home affairs chair after setting aside the two jobs he had held in Corbyn’s shadow Cabinet.
5. Brownite ties run deep. There are numerous reasons for Cooper’s winning performance in this race – from her experience as a minister to her time spent shadowing Theresa May at the Home Office – but she was also helped by her strong support across the PLP. Yes, it was a secret ballot but the list of Cooper’s backers for the leadership last year provides an indication of who might have voted for her this time around, such as Vernon Coaker, John Healey, Geoffrey Robinson, John Spellar and Jon Ashworth to name a few.
6. It doesn’t help being called a Blairite. Umunna, an early frontrunner, was expected to be the main rival to Cooper, and has already put in the hard yards as a member of the home affairs committee, but Flint’s strong showing edged him into third place. The former shadow Business Secretary has never embraced the label of New Labour – pointing out that Blair left office nine years ago and became leader some 22 years past – but still gets lumped into that category. It may seem unfair, but as someone who is young, a former lawyer and good on television it is easy to see why people draw parallels with the former PM.

So as Cooper and Benn settle into their new chairs – prestigious but not particularly luxurious – as this image of the murky green seats in Portcullis House shows – the PLP looks very different to that of a year ago. Corbyn, of course, may be typically unruffled by the week’s events what’s clear is that Labour’s big-hitters are not disappearing anywhere.