Black day for us ALL

THE re-election of Jeremy Corbyn is not just a black day for Labour moderates.

By voting in a man who is manifestly unfit to become Prime Minister, party members have dealt a blow to British democracy.

It was Margaret Thatcher’s Foreign Secretary Francis Pym who argued that large landslide majorities did not ‘produce successful Governments’.

He might have added that the same curse of complacency can apply to Prime Ministers who have slim majorities – if the Opposition is completely feeble.

In addition to the onerous responsibilities of the Brexit negotiations, Theresa May is embarking on challenging domestic reforms.

Throughout this, she should be tested by a Leader of the Opposition who has a credible chance of supplanting her. Corbyn is not that man. His supporters don’t care: many admit openly that they are more interested in establishing a hard-Left social movement than seizing the levers of power.

But we should certainly mind, because we will all be the losers if Britain becomes a one-party state.