A day of profound shame for Corbyn

ON a truly seismic day for British politics, seven Labour MPs took a brave stand against the rancid culture of bigotry and intolerance which has infected, colonised and taken an iron grip on the party they once loved.

Emotions running high, they declared to the nation what most of us have known for some considerable time – that the inclusive, compassionate party of Clement Attlee, Harold Wilson and James Callaghan is no more.

In its place has sprung up a malevolent quasi-Marxist cult, deeply hostile to pluralised debate and brooking no criticism of either its ideology or its leader.

For these seven – representing Labour heartland constituencies from across the country – enough was enough. With bitter recrimination, they resigned the whip and will in future sit in the Commons as an independent group.

Luciana Berger, holding back tears, told of the vile campaign of personal antiSemitic vilification she had endured from the Momentum bully-boys. Chris Leslie said the party had been ‘hijacked by the hard-Left’ who were ‘violating’ the party’s traditional values. Mike Gapes was ‘sickened’ by the fact that his beloved party was now institutionally racist.

For Jeremy Corbyn, this was a day of profound, irredeemable shame.

To coin the Chinese proverb, Labour is a fish rotting from the head. Instead of challenging anti-Semitism Mr Corbyn has at best condoned it, at worst colluded in it. How long ago it seems since he promised ‘a kinder, gentler politics’.

So what now? One of the dissidents, Chuka Umunna, invited members of all parties to join them in providing an alternative to our ‘broken’ political system.

It’s possible that dozens more disaffected Labour MPs may join them and even a handful from other parties.

But sensible Tory MPs will not be tempted. They will realise that the opposition’s disintegration is their opportunity.

Labour is engaged in an existential struggle between extremism and moderation that will take years to play out. If history tells us anything, it’s that voters do not support chronically divided parties. The wilderness beckons.

And although our poll today suggests enormous sympathy for Mr Umunna and the others, the precedent for new parties succeeding is not encouraging either. The SDP scored stunning by-election victories in the early 1980s, only to be humbled in the 1983 general election – then disappear.

Furthermore, beyond being passionate Remainers, it’s not clear what this new party’s policy platform would be.

But to exploit their advantage, the Tories must first get past Brexit without imploding. An honourable deal – which delivers on the referendum while averting No Deal chaos – is tantalisingly close.

There was another chilling reminder of the likely consequences of leaving without a deal yesterday, with the announcement that Honda is shutting its Swindon plant, putting up to 10,000 jobs at risk. While Brexit uncertainty was by no means the only cause, it certainly didn’t help.

Yet for all the warnings, there are still Tory MPs who would put personal prejudice before party by working to sabotage Mrs May’s deal. We can only hope yesterday’s events will bring them to their senses.

If the bickering factions can come together, the road to sustained power is wide open. By focusing on what unites them, rather than engaging in Brexit trench warfare, the prize could be another ten years in office.

For those who truly believe in a Conservative agenda which rewards initiative and hard work, defends the family, and increases opportunity for all, there will never be a better chance to put that belief into practice.

What greater incentive do they need?