Blair doubts Corbynsceptic fightback as Labour MPs lose no-confidence votes

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Tony Blair has poured cold water on the argument made by Corbynsceptics that unhappy Labour members should ‘stay and fight’ within the party to eventually regain control of it. The former Prime Minister told listeners of Nick Robinson’s Political Thinking podcast that he is not sure “moderates” can “take back” what is now a “different type of Labour Party”.

According to BBC deputy political editor Norman Smith’s analysis, “such criticism is certain to infuriate some Corbyn supporters”, and indeed shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon has already tweeted that Blair should “fight the Tories as much as he does the Labour Party”.

But Blair’s comments are actually more likely to fuel Corbynsceptic accelerationism, a doctrine that recommends giving up on Labour and watching it burn under Corbyn. And his statements will further demoralise those who urge their friends and colleagues to ‘stay and fight’. In July, Luke Akehurst asked LabourList readers: “where are the moderate equivalents of Chris Williamson, charging around the country, rallying the troops?”. This intervention by Blair is essentially the exact opposite of that kind of proposed fightback strategy.

The same Corbynsceptic-dispiriting effect is likely to be produced from two key local Labour meetings that took place last night. In Joan Ryan’s constituency, members passed a motion of no confidence that accuses their local Labour MP of “going to a hostile press”, “smearing” Corbyn and bringing the party into disrepute. The MP dismissed the result as “hardly decisive” and, in a Kate Hoey-style ‘come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough’ attack, called local members “Trots Stalinists Communists” in whom she had “no confidence”. Meanwhile, her critics started a hashtag – #weareEnfieldNorth – where they celebrated their victory.

Luke Akehurst took something positive from the narrow margin (95-92) by which the motion passed, pointing out that another four ‘stay and fight’ members could have reversed the result. But that wasn’t the only Corbynsceptic loss of the night. Gavin Shuker, who once described “Corbyn hat people” as “loons” and recently said it was “increasingly difficult” for him to remain in the party, also lost a vote of no confidence. And it was a more decisive loss, with astonishingly bad numbers for the MP: 33 votes in favour, five abstentions and three against the motion.

There is no sign either MP will quit the party as Frank Field and John Woodcock have done. But mandatory reselection, or at least a relaxed trigger ballot system, is likely to be voted on by delegates at party conference later this month. That is when these conflicts will reach a critical point – and if conference approves open selections, don’t be surprised when the ‘stay and fight’-ers lose a number of parliamentarians to the ‘leave and give up’ camp.

Sienna @siennamarla

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