‘Leaders come and go’ – Darling appears to cast doubt on Corbyn future

FORMER chancellor Alistair Darling appears to have cast doubt over whether Jeremy Corbyn will remain as Labour leader after the General Election.

When asked to endorse Mr Corbyn’s leadership of the party, Mr Darling, who was in both Tony Blair’s and Gordon Brown’s cabinets, said he would be the “leader right up to the General Election” and added that “leaders come and go”.

He also appeared to question whether Labour would be able to secure a victory in the June 8 ballot.

He spoke out on the 20th anniversary of Tony Blair’s landslide general election victory, which returned Labour to Downing Street after 18 years of Conservative rule

Asked if he endorsed Labour’s leftwing leader, Mr Darling said: “He is the leader, he is the leader right up to the General Election.

“My view is we need to get on, we’re fighting a General Election campaign, you know leaders come and go. It’s important we get the best possible result for the country, that means having a sensible sizeable opposition... members of, you know, government... that can actually make a difference.”

He added: “There’s no question he’s the leader, it’s for him to convince people in the next six weeks and voters will make of it what they will.”

Mr Darling spoke while campaigning in Edinburgh South – the seat

held by Labour’s one remaining Scottish MP Ian Murray.

The former chancellor, who also headed the campaign to keep Scotland in the UK in 2014, stressed the importance of getting “people like Ian returned at the next election so we’ve got decent people arguing against an ever more extreme, bleak view of what might happen”.

He argued that politics has “skewed to the right” under the Conservatives, leaving so-called Middle Britain – whose votes Mr Blair captured – unrepresented.

But with Brexit looming, Mr Darling said there was a need for “sensible” politicians making the case for the UK to continue to have a relationship with the European Union after it leaves.