Talks on Labour’s future – but is Eagle finally limbering up for a leader challenge?

Last Updated: July 8, 2016By

The Mirror‘s angle (below) is that talks are taking place over Jeremy Corbyn’s future as leader of the Labour Party. But this is nonsense – he has won.

The talk on Twitter is that Angela Eagle will launch her leadership challenge today (Friday, July 8). If she doesn’t, that’ll be the end of her because she has had enough chances to do something and has bottled it every time.

In fact, it’ll be the end of her anyway because – well, take a look:

160708 Angela Eagle

Anybody in the Parliamentary Labour Party wishing to support her challenge should be reminded that Wallesey CLP, which nominated her as a Parliamentary candidate and campaigned for her to be elected, specifically instructed her not to resign from the Shadow Cabinet, not to support the ‘no confidence’ vote against Mr Corbyn and not to stand as a challenger against him. She ignored her fellow members.

This is very interesting because, only last year, when she was running to be Labour’s deputy leader (she came fourth), she sent the same members the following letter:

160708 Eagle letter

The highlighted parts read: “For too long, you haven’t been listened to or been given enough of a say. I will change that… I will always stand up for you and put your first… I won’t be doing it on the front page of a newspaper [telling the leader he’s wrong]… I am running for you, and I will be a Deputy for you – our members, our Councillors and the grassroots.”

Those are a lot of broken promises. Admittedly, she wasn’t elected – but why should she not behave habitually as she stated in the letter? Instead, Tessa Jowell appeared on television a couple of days ago, lying about the events of the meeting where Ms Eagle’s instructions were hammered out. She said her colleague was subjected to homophobic abuse, when Ms Eagle was not even present. The CLP’s chairperson has released a statement assuring us that no such behaviour took place, even in the MP’s absence.

Furthermore, her chances of success are tiny. Her own constituency isn’t the only one that supports Jeremy Corbyn, as the following makes clear:

160708 CLP confidence

According to LabourLeft’s Eoin Clarke, 60 CLPs have held votes on Jeremy Corbyn. That means 45 have shown full confidence in him. It’s not entirely representative, as there are 650 constituencies in the UK – but it’s a start.

Oh, and there’s also the small matter of the huge increase in Labour’s membership. An astonishing 128,000 people have become full members of the Labour Party in the last 11 days. Of these, 40,000 are known to have joined in order to support Mr Corbyn’s leadership – but according to Labour Insider the true figure may be as high as 80,000.

That is the environment in which Ms Eagle is allegedly set to launch her leadership challenge tomorrow. If she does, it will sink without a trace.

Owen Smith and Angela Eagle have put their leadership challenges on hold to allow further talks on Jeremy Corbyn ’s future.

They said negotiations on “healing the rift” in the party needed more time to succeed.

But both made clear they were ready to stand against Mr Corbyn if there was no breakthrough.

Source: Labour Party revolt ‘on hold’ for talks on Jeremy Corbyn’s future – Mirror Online

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No Comments

  1. Rupert Mitchell (@rupert_rrl) July 8, 2016 at 6:38 am - Reply

    That was the end of her and the other 171 who have let us down so badly; I don’t feel that the Labour party can move forward with these people in it.

  2. Lynn Dye July 8, 2016 at 7:34 am - Reply

    Mike, have you seen this leadership challenge from Labour First on Facebook? They have been advertising for “mainstream moderate” members to join and vote against Jeremy Corbyn. They are becoming more and more of a joke.

    https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1202358549804073&id=212399412133330&comment_id=1202385196468075&reply_comment_id=1202414146465180&notif_t=feed_comment_reply&notif_id=1467927975093239

    • Mike Sivier July 8, 2016 at 11:38 am - Reply

      I’ll have a look and see if it’s worth a story.

  3. Damien Willey July 8, 2016 at 7:54 am - Reply

    My CLP is holding a vote on tuesday, I expect it’ll back Corbyn too

    • Mike Sivier July 8, 2016 at 11:37 am - Reply

      Which CLP is that?

  4. Dez July 8, 2016 at 8:05 am - Reply

    I’m sorry but with her record, background and Cons thinking she is in the wrong political Party. The only thing this eagle will do if she challenges is #### in her own nest.

  5. Jackie Cairns July 8, 2016 at 8:48 am - Reply

    I look forward to her leadership challenge, So when she gets down the swanny, It will give the rest of the #headlesschickencoup a message. HE’S GOING NOWERE. She can swan off in the distance and WE the Labour members will see our party getting on with fighting the Tories, Instead of idiots. Who think the party is ALL about them. well guess what? it isn’t

  6. Roland Laycock July 8, 2016 at 8:56 am - Reply

    So they are holding on is that so Blairs team can get there act together for the next attack get rid of her ASAP

  7. Robert Cheshire July 8, 2016 at 11:01 am - Reply

    Her voting record reads like that of an imperialist tory. Despite her ineffectual manner, she is a poisonous element in the Parliamentary Labour Party. I don’t see much point in trying to re-instill Labour Party values as to me, she is too far gone. Let’s be kind though, as we wish her well on her way, wherever that may be and so long as it doesn’t involve representing anyone.

  8. Roy Beiley July 8, 2016 at 11:57 am - Reply

    I keep wondering who Angela Eagle is having these “talks” with. Not JC I would suspect. Perhaps it is a case of “Mirror mirror on the wall who is the best candidate of them all?”

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