Labour takes a leap to Left with Corbyn
A veteran anti-war campaigner known for his unapologetically socialist views has won a landslide victory to lead Britain’s opposition Labour Party – an outcome that delighted supporters and dismayed others who never imagined he could be elected.
The overwhelming support for far-Left Jeremy Corbyn, 66, was one of the biggest shakeups in British politics in decades.
His win on Saturday marks a sharp left turn for his party – and will significantly challenge the tone of mainstream British politics, now dominated by Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservatives.
‘‘It’s certainly the most highprofile position an overt socialist has held in British politics since the 1980s,’’ said Martin Wright, lecturer in history and politics at Cardiff University. ‘‘It’s an absolute earthquake. For the last two decades, the centre ground has been moving ever further to the Right. This moves the frames of reference to the Left and opens up an alternative.’’
Considered an eccentric outsider and a longshot just months ago, Corbyn won many over with passionate arguments for nationalising industry, heavily taxing corporations and the rich, increasing spending and ending austerity. Supporters say Corbyn is a refreshing voice in a party that has been moving toward the center ground for far too long.
Under the last two Labour leaders in power, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, Labour shed its commitment to nationalising industry and wooed big business.
Corbyn’s blunt rejection of that strategy attracted scores of enthusiastic new members and supporters to the party, earning him a rock-star welcome from many young people disillusioned with British politics.
But many senior leaders in the party have warned that Corbyn’s socialist ideas will alienate moderate voters and make Labour candidates unelectable, dooming the party to opposition status and ensuring that the Conservatives stay in power for years to come.
Blair, who led Labour to three consecutive election victories, recently said his party faced ‘‘annihilation’’ under Corbyn.
But cheers and applause erupted in the London conference venue as it was announced that Corbyn swept almost 60 per cent of the vote, far ahead of his closest rival, Andy Burnham, who scored 19 per cent, with 422,664 votes cast.
A politician for 32 years but never held government office, Corbyn divides his own party with his radical views even as it struggles to recover from a heavy defeat in May’s national election. Within hours of his victory, several prominent Labour MPs announced they would not serve under Corbyn.
In his acceptance speech, Corbyn promised to bring about a more compassionate Britain and tackle ‘‘grotesque levels of inequality’’.
‘‘The Tories have used the economic crisis of 2008 to impose a terrible burden on the poorest people of this country,’’ he said. ‘‘Poverty isn’t inevitable, things can – and they will – change.’’
Corbyn’s unexpected surge of popularity against his three younger, more mainstream rivals has already stirred months of vigorous, often bitter, debate within the party about its identity.
But since Labour lost power in 2010 — and suffered even worse losses to the Conservatives in this year’s election — some activists have been arguing that it was time to return to the party’s ideological roots.