Labour ‘could suffer fatal split if left-winger replaces Corbyn after election’
THERE is a “serious possibility” the Labour Party will suffer a “fatal” split if Jeremy Corbyn is replaced by another hard left-wing leader after the General Election, an expert has warned.
Professor Tim Bale claimed that if the party did not elect a leader who would occupy the centrist “sweet spot” currently filled by Theresa May, a new opposition party would emerge.
The Queen Mary, University of London academic told a Political Studies Association briefing that such a party could “immediately” become the official opposition, and would not struggle to find funds to support its creation.
Prof Bale said a “large number” of Labour MPs may jump ship to avoid potentially being out of power for a decade.
“The election defeat is going to be psychologically pretty devastating. Of course some Labour members will retreat into denial, retreat into paranoia – you will get stories about the reason Jeremy lost being the media, being stabbed in the back by his MPs.
“But some Labour members will be shaken by the result. We do have to remember that a large proportion of Labour grassroots members are not sleeping virtuously... they do actually want to be in power and they don’t want the Conservative party to be in power.”
Prof Bale said “some trade union leaders” would “begin to back off supporting the Corbynite wing of the Labour party” because they will not be able to “carry on forever throwing their members’ good money” if it is not in power.
“If a left-winger wins... then I do think that we do have to at least consider there being a serious risk of historic and possibly fatal split in the Labour party.”
Prof Bale said Mr Corbyn could stay on as leader after the election to improve the chances of another MP from the party’s radical wing taking over, although cautioned that the party may not choose another leftwing MP.
He said: “I think it is at least possible that large numbers of Labour MPs will regard the prospect of five and probably another 10 years out of power with a degree of horror and they will not want to go down with what many will regard as a sinking ship.”