Tom Watson: Corbyn doesn’t consult me on Labour’s strategy decisions

Tom Watson admits that he has had to watch key decisions on Labour’s electoral strategy from the sidelines in the aftermath of the leadership battle last summer.

Watson, deputy leader and shadow culture secretary, has said that he is not involved in the team drawing up the manifesto for a general election.

He made the claims in an interview with Tony Blair’s former media chief Alastair Campbell for GQ.

Campbell asked if he knew who was on the strategy committee, to which Watson said not.

Campbell replied: “What? That’s incredible.”

Watson expanded, saying: “That is how he [Jeremy Corbyn] is going to lead. That second election means he is the established leader. I am in the NEC and in the shadow cabinet but nobody should be in any doubt it will be his manifesto. He will lead in developing those policies and I will support him.”

He also said Corbyn will lead Labour into the next election. When pressed by Campbell on whether or not this was a good thing, he simply said “It doesn’t matter, that is the situation”.

Watson was involved with discussions between Corbyn and the unions last summer in which he is thought to have told the leader to step aside.

“I made my position clear, gave private counsel, based on the fact it was difficult to lead without the confidence of a majority of MPs, but he took a different view, the membership backed him and we have to respect that,” Watson added.

He has previously warned of far-left “entryism”, which he feared could destroy the party but said, however, that Corbyn could be the next prime minister.

Watson praised Corbyn’s record at PMQs, saying: “The thing he does really well is he doesn’t let the goading get to him. He is always quite relaxed, knows what he has to say, doesn’t worry about the chamber reaction. He sticks to his message and you should take a look at the reaction on his Facebook page. Something else.”

Corbyn has improved his performance from the despatch box and in recent weeks he has pushed Theresa May on the social care crisis and NHS failings.

Campbell also asked Watson about his resignation as a junior minister, in 2006, which was aimed at getting the then prime minister to set a date for his departure. Watson told Campbell: “I lost confidence in him. I actually felt he had lost confidence in himself.”