Amid Stop the War row, Labour left MPs and activists will keep being tested

UK politicians keep being pushed for some indication that they could support a no-fly zone over Ukraine. When the plea comes directly from Ukrainians, it can be a difficult conversation. Keir Starmer was asked by a member of a Ukrainian congregation in a church in Acton yesterday, cab driver Andriy Petryk, whether he would ask the government to implement a no-fly zone. “We’ll talk to the government about that,” he replied, according to The Independent. Labour’s actual policy, however, is in full agreement with NATO that a NFZ is not an option, as it would represent an escalation that could trigger another world war.

Boris Johnson was also confronted with the same appeal yesterday at a press conference in Poland. “NATO is afraid of World War Three, but it has already started,” said Ukrainian reporter Daria Kaleniuk. “We are asking for a no-fly zone.” The Prime Minister replied that “I’ve got to be honest” and “unfortunately the implication of that is the UK would be engaged in shooting down Russian planes. “The consequences of that would be truly very, very difficult to control,” Johnson added.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace – very popular among Tory members and seen as a potential successor to Johnson – explained the UK’s position in more detail today. “You would end up with potentially a NATO conflict with Russia across all of Europe,” the former soldier told Times Radio. But he also made another argument, saying the Ukrainian army currently can use fast jets and drones to great effect, whereas a NFZ would “favour the force with the massive armed forces, which will be Russia because they will be able to carry on regardless”. “From a military point of view, it wouldn’t help Ukraine,” he concluded.

In the Labour Party, the battle over MPs who support the Stop the War Coalition rages on, despite them having dodged a whip suspension by quickly withdrawing their names from a statement last week. Diane Abbott struck a conciliatory tone yesterday, describing herself as a “loyal supporter of Keir Starmer” and saying the statement was “superseded by events and we were happy to take our names off”. But she did add: “We could even support Stop the War under Tony Blair, at the time of the Iraq war. So it’s interesting that we can’t support Stop the War now.”

When the signatures were pulled, it may have seemed as if the matter was settled. But it is still a live issue: behind the scenes, a number of Labour MPs have been urging Starmer to go further. With the chances of Jeremy Corbyn returning to the parliamentary party looking close to zero now, some are determined that as many Corbynites as possible are also ousted. “At the next election, it won’t be Ed Miliband in Alex Salmond’s pocket, it’ll be Keir in John McDonnell’s,” one frontbencher told Sky News. Campaign Group MPs are already worried about what they do if, or when, Corbyn stands as an Independent, opposed by Labour. But it looks likely that their ability to hold onto the whip will keep being tested before then.

Update, 11am: John McDonnell could lose the Labour whip if he speaks at a Stop The War rally in London tonight.

Finally, Scottish Labour has done what the whole Labour Party has needed for some time: a rebrand. A new logo has been leaked to the Daily Record. I am a fan of the thistle, but less of the old-fashioned colour gradient, and that second ‘o’ needs looking at. What do you make of it? And do you have any suggestions for a UK Labour rebrand? Email us your thoughts.