Never mind the Conservatives, Labour is suffering at the hand of the EU
Labour party conference has been marked by internal struggles, and their tedium. But that’s sort of the point. As a senior member of the Corbyn team told me, the lack of negative coverage about the party means the total reportage is close to something like an equilibrium – a win.
Who gets to keep their seat and who gets deselected is what the new wave of Labour members want to discuss when asked about proceedings – once they’ve finished complaining about the media focus on Brexit.
A focus some even believe is a conspiracy to drive a wedge through the party. Pushing it, when you consider the last 48 hours on the conference stage.
On Monday morning Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer John McDonnell visited reporters encircling the conference hall to discuss Labour’s position on a potential second referendum. He ruled out Remain as an option on the ballot paper. The following day shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer took to the stage and declared:
“Nobody is ruling out Remain as an option.”
An off-script line not in the official version of the speech distributed to delegates.
Earlier in the day, Starmer told talkRADIO: “I don’t think at this stage anybody is talking about extending Article 50.”
But the party’s senior members moved past that stage pretty quickly, because by that afternoon shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry told a fringe event: “We need to extend Article 50.”
Then, deputy of the union Unite, Steve Turner told the hall that a second referendum would be on the terms of a Brexit deal, without an option to Remain, “despite what Keir says.”
It looks like the Labour Party, not the media, is driving a wedge through itself. Or trying to play both sides of the Brexit chasm.
An ambiguous but two-faced approach to Brexit could be electorally beneficial. As long as Labour’s policy is the least bad option.
Today, Corbyn pitches to Brexit voters with a closing speech that will announce 400,000 new green jobs in areas affected by deindustrialisation. Something to placate after TV cameras beamed his conference hall in standing ovation for a Remain option being included on a second Brexit referendum.
And no one can contradict him afterwards – he’s the last speaker at the conference.
