Blairites frozen out as Labour soars ahead
Jeremy Corbyn will not welcome back disloyal MPS while shock new poll gives his party a six-point lead
BLAIRITE MPS who opposed Jeremy Corbyn will not be welcomed back into the shadow cabinet, senior allies of the Labour leader have indicated, as Mr Corbyn vowed to push forward with his far-left plan for government.
Instead, moderate MPS who have not been supportive of the leader could be offered roles developing policy for the party in a bid to reward the loyalty of those who stayed by Mr Corbyn’s side.
Both Emily Thornberry and John Mcdonnell yesterday warned against replacing the shadow cabinet with senior moderate MPS amid fears it would create a further rift within the party.
It came as Mr Corbyn vowed to force Theresa May out of Downing Street and take over as prime minister as a shock new poll showed the party six points ahead of the Conservatives.
The Labour leader called for a second general election. He also pledged to block Mrs May’s Queen’s Speech in the Commons and to table his own instead in an attempt to frustrate the Prime Minister’s ability to govern and ultimately force her out through a vote of no confidence.
‘Our shadow cabinet at the moment was a winning team, it’s just won effectively votes that no one predicted that we would, so I don’t want to break up that winning team’
Mr Corbyn said Labour was ready to put forward “a serious programme of government which obviously has massive support in this country”.
Although the chance of him succeeding is slim, a poll showed support for Mr Corbyn and Labour growing in the wake of the election result which saw Mrs May returned to Downing Street but with her majority in tatters. Labour is now six points ahead on 45 per cent, its best result throughout the entire campaign.
A chaotic attempt to forge a powersharing deal with the DUP looked to be on shaky ground over the weekend and Mr Corbyn sought to capitalise on the problems by promising to push ahead with his own programme, including ending austerity.
Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, Mr Corbyn said: “I can still be prime minister. This is still on. Absolutely. Theresa May has been to the Palace. She’s attempting to form a government. She’s then got to present a programme to Parliament.
“We will – obviously – amend the Queen’s Speech. There’s a possibility of voting it down and we’re going to push that all the way. We have got a mandate to deal with issues of poverty, justice and inequality in Britain. We want to end austerity and invest in this country and that’s what we’re going to do.
“Nearly 13million people voted for us to do it. That’s why I’m here.”
Asked whether Blairite MPS, many of whom have experience in government, should be welcomed back despite their previous criticism of Mr Corbyn, both Ms Thornberry and Mr Mcdonnell cast doubt on the idea.
The shadow chancellor told ITV’S Robert Peston: “My view is we want to draw upon all the talents, but our shadow cabinet at the moment was a winning team, it’s just won effectively votes that no one predicted that we would, so I don’t want to break up that winning team.”
But he appeared to indicate there could be other jobs for those who want to return, including Yvette Cooper and Chuka Umunna. “There are a number of vacancies that will be coming up almost certainly. In addition to that, there’s other roles that people can play.
“We now want to ensure that we’re a cohesive party, cohesive family, because the country needs us.”
Ms Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, said: “There are a lot of very good new people who have joined the shadow cabinet who have stuck with Jeremy Corbyn through thick and thin, very difficult times, and that needs to be recognised. There are a number of things people can do – chair of select committees, looking at policy submissions, there is plenty to do, we need everybody on board to be able to do it.” The new Survation poll, taken after the general election, is the first that has put Mr Corbyn ahead since Mrs May took office after the EU referendum.
The poll also found that about half of those surveyed think the Prime Minister should resign after she failed to win the majority she asked for in order to deliver Brexit. Only 38 per cent of people said she should stay.
The poll shows a dramatic turnaround in Mrs May’s fortunes after surveys throughout the election campaign and before put her streets ahead of Mr Corbyn in popularity and ability to lead the country. Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, is the most popular Conservative figure to step into Downing Street, according to the survey, with 26 per cent. Just behind was Philip Hammond, the Chancellor, on 10 per cent.
If Mr Corbyn is successful in voting down the Queen’s Speech then he could have the chance to form the next government, but achieving it would be difficult. Labour would have to secure the support of Conservative backbenchers and almost every other MP in the Commons to defeat Mrs May.
Yesterday, Mr Corbyn told the BBC’S Andrew Marr Show that the UK could not remain inside the single market after it leaves the union.