Labour leadership challenge: This Eagle won’t land – she’ll crash

Last Updated: June 29, 2016By
Angela Eagle is believed to have the support of the 51 MPs and MEPs needed to mount a challenge [Image: PA].

Angela Eagle is believed to have the support of the 51 MPs and MEPs needed to mount a challenge [Image: PA].

So the challenger is to be Angela Eagle, according to the BBC. This Writer can’t help but wonder. Stalking horse?

Ms Eagle may have the support of 51 MPs or MEPs needed to mount a challenge, but will she have the support of any members, considering the way she treated her own Constituency Labour Party earlier this week?

The secretary of her CLP wrote to her with instructions from the membership of the Wallasey Labour Party – not to oppose Corbyn, not to quit the Shadow Cabinet, and not to vote against him in the motion of ‘no confidence’.

We know for a fact that she ignored the first two instructions and from her current actions we can assume she scorned the third as well.

If that happened in my own constituency, the representative responsible would very quickly find themselves representing nothing at all, and I’m sure Wallasey won’t let this pass.

Of course, the rest of us also know what she has done and, in a party where the membership is supreme, I think you know how we’re likely to vote.

Jeremy Corbyn should welcome this challenge. Personally, I relish it.

It is time a member of the so-called ‘Labour Coup’ had some humiliation for a change.

Oh, and by the way, the BBC report had a few words from Tom Watson, still Labour’s deputy leader, who has said he will not stand for the leadership.

The BBC reports that he echoed Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale, who had said if she had lost the confidence of 80 per cent of her MSPs, she would not be able to do her job.

Well, she didn’t lose their confidence but she did lose 50 per cent of her MSPs (from 46 to 23) in the May elections. Some might ascribe that to her ability – or lack of it – to do her job. But she has spoken out against Corbyn so that’s all right then, it seems.

Mr Watson said: “He does have a members’ mandate but those members who join a political party also know you need a parliamentary mandate if you are to form a government.”

Presumably he means a mandate from the other MPs in the party, and one can see his point.

However, with the vast majority of the Labour membership supporting Corbyn, surely an intelligent man like Mr Watson can see it is the rebel MPs who are in the wrong party, not the leader?

Angela Eagle will challenge Jeremy Corbyn for the Labour leadership on Thursday, the BBC has been told.

It is understood the former shadow business secretary has the support of the 51 MPs needed to mount a challenge.

Ms Eagle is one of 20 members of the shadow cabinet to have quit since Sunday, which led to MPs passing a motion of no confidence in Mr Corbyn.

Mr Corbyn’s allies have accused rebel MPs of trying to “bully” him and say they believe he will win an election.

And union leaders have rallied behind Mr Corbyn, issuing a joint statement saying that the Labour leader had a “resounding mandate” and a leadership election would be an “unnecessary distraction”.

Source: Corbyn to face Labour leadership challenge from Angela Eagle – BBC News

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16 Comments

  1. Nick June 29, 2016 at 7:51 pm - Reply

    Angela is the only person that could unseat Jeremy
    what do you think mike and if not her who ?

    • Mike Sivier June 30, 2016 at 2:19 am - Reply

      I don’t think any of them can unseat Mr Corbyn.
      It isn’t about WHO has the leadership, you see; it’s about WHAT they represent.
      Corbyn represents traditional Labour values, including democracy.
      The members of the #ChickenCoup (as it’s now being called) don’t.

      • jeffrey davies June 30, 2016 at 6:17 am - Reply

        thats given chickens a bad name but blairites the greedie mps who back stabbed their leader need sacking deselection but blairs greed nows no bounds

      • Nick June 30, 2016 at 2:16 pm - Reply

        you and i mike share the same values and that to me is a positive sign
        i just hope Jeremy can cope with the pressure ?

  2. Thomas Walker June 29, 2016 at 8:01 pm - Reply

    Angela who, the toerag was given a job she was vastly under qualified for,and spent her time undermining Jeremy.Sorry about the language.but she’s an untrustworthy

    • Mike Sivier June 30, 2016 at 2:18 am - Reply

      … and there the comment ended (after I edited it for naughty language)!

  3. yarmouthboy June 29, 2016 at 9:02 pm - Reply

    What is the difference between the charisma of Jeremy Corbyn and the charisma of Angela Eagle? Does she ever listen to the sound of her own voice I wonder? I would rather listen to Harriet Harman than her. At least Harriet has has a kind of charisma.

  4. Brian June 29, 2016 at 9:20 pm - Reply

    I suspect several coup members have skeletons in the closet that will relinquish their token support for Eagle. After all, they are conspirators. Guido Fawkes plan was laid to waste by his messenger, such a conspiracy can not be contained.

  5. kerper June 29, 2016 at 9:46 pm - Reply

    The Eagle has flown. Possibly with great effect. We will see soon

  6. Ed June 29, 2016 at 10:37 pm - Reply

    She will not win the majority vote to lead Labour through this difficult time when you hear her speak at PMQ she does not have Corbyn’s natural charisma!! ”she will no doubt nose dive and crash!!

  7. David Woods June 30, 2016 at 8:20 am - Reply

    All those who quit should now be facing local elections, if they won’t work with the leader of the party they should stand down and leave the party they no longer wish to represent!

  8. David Woods June 30, 2016 at 8:23 am - Reply

    The Labour elite don’t want a leader, they want someone they can manipulate!

  9. Dez June 30, 2016 at 10:06 am - Reply

    What a total untrustworthy bunch of individuals who ignore the Labour grass root votes in favour of their own self importance and political careers. Obviously none of them much fans of real democracy however another round of grass root voting will flush out how
    many grass root voting dissenters who are not happy with Jeremys EU efforts. Not sure there are many of these unfaithful who are actually grass roots and most would be better suited in joining the Cons or more appropriate the Lib losers who no longer have any integrity. Getting a bit like them lying Cons who also have no respect for the rank ‘n file, or plebs as certain Cons like to call them.

  10. Iris July 2, 2016 at 6:33 am - Reply

    I used to vote Labour in general elections. When the party has shrunk to a rump unable to form a government what point would there be in supporting it any more? Everything comes to an end someday and perhaps this is the way the Labour party will wither and die. It’s very sad really. Very, very sad.

    • Mike Sivier July 2, 2016 at 3:14 pm - Reply

      The Labour Party is about to become the largest socialist party in the whole of Europe. Why are you suggesting it is shrinking to a “rump”?

      MPs are not the sum total of a political party. They can be replaced, and you can bet that this is exactly what will happen to the 172 who have tried to remove Mr Corbyn.

      Then Labour will be able to unite behind MPs who have a common purpose – one which is proving hugely popular.

    • Thomas Walker July 2, 2016 at 3:52 pm - Reply

      I’ve voted labour for 40years,only joined the party last year to support Jeremy, was invited to a CLP meeting once,at the beginning haven’t been asked again. And have no idea when or where they are to be held.Might have been because I was vocal in my support of Jeremy. Don’t think there’s much support in my CLP for him.but as I’ve had no contact with anyone else in the party it’s a guess. But I’ll still vote for him come hell or high water.Sunderland and Washington west.

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