Contrary to popular belief, the Labour left are not finished just yet
The appointment of David Evans as the Labour party’s general secretary last week was deemed a crushing blow for the Corbynite left. Writer and editor of LabourList, Sienna Rodgers, stated in the Guardian that the socialist left had been “thoroughly defeated” with the “end of Corbynism”.
Rodgers had hastened the left to be dead and buried when, in fact, a radical socialist Labour membership and policy prevails. The hiring of Evans within Labour’s HQ operations may seem frightening but its unproductive to dismiss his role so soon. His role as assistant general secretary and influential campaigner under the Blairite era has long gone. His quest to make Labour an election-winning party does not necessarily mean a pivot to the hard right is nigh.
The same goes for new leader, Keir Starmer, and the pervasive scepticism that coincided with his leadership victory. A self-proclaimed socialist, Starmer has already pledged to bring radical transformation to a country in dire need of one. He would be intellectually dishonest to completely dismiss the legacy of the Corbynite project. This is when his hard-left predecessor helped mobilise swathes of disillusioned voters repelled by the status quo.
The disunity in the Labour party under Corbyn, unfortunately surfaced by his own colleagues, only bolstered a lackadaisical Boris Johnson’s chances of winning a electoral landslide. Corbyn’s rampant unpopularity with his fellow parliamentarians, as well as the mainstream media, meant his overwhelmingly popular policy pledges were overlooked by his purported character and integrity. To find someone approved by the PLP, the electorate and party-affiliated pressure groups but still continuing Corbyn’s cry for transformative change is absolute necessary for Labour’s success.
Many people on the left did not vote for Starmer, nor they do endorse the majority of his key appointments in the LOTO office. However, Starmer is all too aware of the backlash he would receive if he returned to a moderate leadership similar to the Blair/Brown governments. It would only spark dismay from his backers and the wider Labour movement.
The Labour left, with their strong grassroots networks and influence, could be a thorn in the side of a Starmer-led party if he succumbs to his centre-left acolytes. Political organisation Momentum is already planning a revival in leadership and scope so they can be a trailblazing force under Labour’s proposals for socialist change. They know they have the backing of the majority of the rank-and-file policy-wise and know too well that a lurch to the right would only cripple Starmer’s favourability.
Recently, Starmer announced a post-pandemic green industrial rescue for those out of work, a key component of Corbynism. He has also endorsed a radical overhaul of the welfare state, common ownership in our public services and the strengthening of trade unionism. He has done so with the hiring of Corbynista’s in his inner circle, with both Simon Fletcher and Anneliese Midgley holding coveted positions in his communications and strategy teams. Therefore, he has prominent socialists helping sway policy decisions that would only please the diverse left-wing base.
No matter what the punditry tells you regarding the demise of the hard-left in Labour, it is still way too early to suggest that. Media commentators like to depict a radical left movement in terminal decline when the opposite is the truth. Kudos to Corbyn, a Labour left has never felt so emboldened. With a Tory government in crisis, a socialist Labour party with Starmer at the helm could become highly appealing to the national electorate.
