Labour on brink of a civil war
show little sign of faith being damaged among his worshippers. Even false claims that Mr Corbyn was a Nobel peace prize winner were circulating among some of his most fanatical admirers.
With the Labour leader retaining his limpet-like grip on the job and the support of his hard-Left fans, the mass walkout looks like the only viable option for the moderates.
Mr Corbyn’s allies are rattled about the threat. Richard Burgon, the shadow justice secretary, used an article in the Morning Star news- paper to rail against the prospect of a breakaway similar to the Social Democratic Party of the 1980s.
“Some in Labour have floated that idea too, even on the floor of the House of Commons,” Mr Burgon wrote, adding: “We should be clear. A new party would be a desperate attempt to stop a radical Labour government. That would be its sole aim.”
He also claimed the party did not “need any more Ramsay McDonalds”, a reference to the first Labour prime minister now seen as a traitor by many on the Left for his decision to head a multi-party government with the Tories.
Discussions are understood to have continued between Labour MPs, donors and some Lib Dems and Tories about the prospects of a new breakaway centre party.
Yet such talk has been going on ever since Mr Corbyn was elected to his job three years ago. With Labour’s civil war set to deepen in the run-up to its annual conference next month, Mr Corbyn’s foes need to turn their talk into action.