Richmond Park shows Labour can’t afford to field anti-Corbyn candidates | The SKWAWKBOX
Opinions please!
The Lib Dems, understandably, are ecstatic and Tim Farron’s speech at Richmond Park this morning was full of predictions of voters deserting Corbyn’s supposedly-failed project. This is bollocks, of course, but understandable bollocks, given the LibDems still-dire situation.
Labour right-wingers, fully supported by their media allies, will attempt to pin Labour’s result – an 8% fall in share compared to 2015 – on leader Jeremy Corbyn’s ‘unelectability’. This is predictable, but utter nonsense – because the result shows the complete opposite.
Labour’s candidate in this by-election, Christian Wolmar, was an outspoken Corbyn critic during the recent leadership election and a firm supporter of Corbyn’s rival, Owen Smith – he organised the unsuccessful motion in support of Smith at his constituency party.
His performance in this election was woeful, a mere 1,515 votes – less than 4%.
Labour were never going to win this election. But the performance of an explicitly anti-Corbyn candidate speaks volumes. In the Sheffield council by election in September, Labour lost over 9% of its share and lost the seat to the LibDems – with a vociferously anti-Corbyn candidate, Julie Grocutt.
Whereas in by-elections with pro-Corbyn or even neutral candidates, Labour has seen substantial swings in its favour in many areas.
Spot the pattern yet?
Source: Richmond Park shows Labour can’t afford to field anti-Corbyn candidates | The SKWAWKBOX
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