Tories and SNP will be celebrating

Jeremy Corbyn yesterday became the first Labour leader since Neil Kinnock to have faced a challenge to his leadership and emerge triumphant.

And now, while Labour does what it does best – turns in on itself – the rest of the country should also consider the impact of Corbyn’s victory.

After the its wipeout at the hands of the SNP at last year’s general election, Scottish Labour will be hoping to retrieve some ground from their nationalist opponents whenever Theresa May decides to seek a new mandate from the voters.

But if, as the polls suggest, Labour under Corbyn has no hope of winning that election, why on earth would former Labour voters in Scotland bother returning to the fold?

In fact, things could be worse for Scottish Labour.

Imagine if Corbyn had become leader before the independence referendum of 2014. The Labour-led Better Together campaign won the day, partly because it could point to the polls and reassure Scots that Ed Miliband at least had a chance of winning the 2015 election, and so lifting the threat of Tory government from Scotland.

Had Corbyn been at the helm in 2014, such claims would have been laughed off the park.

Nicola Sturgeon is well aware of Labour’s predicament. Were she to call a second referendum in the next couple of years – while Corbyn is still in post – it would be impossible for the pro-UK side to promise anything other than perpetual Tory government if Scots reject independence.

But there are even wider implications for the whole of the UK from Corbyn’s victory. Someone who actively encouraged the IRA during its terror campaign against Britain in the 1970s, 80s and 90s could never become Britain’s prime minister. His supporters know this, and are prepared to settle for perpetual, unending, noisy opposition.

But what does that mean for the poorest in society? Under the last Labour government pensioner poverty was virtually abolished, child poverty was halved (and is now rising again) and spending on the health service trebled. Do these things no longer matter?

Britain needs a Labour government. But before then, it needs an effective opposition. Labour members should be aware that as they were celebrating Corbyn’s triumph yesterday, their opponents at SNP and Conservative HQs were celebrating too.