Labour is transformed - but still “haunted” by Corbyn | Election 2024 | The New Statesman

Under Keir Starmer the Labour party “have been transformed in a single term”, but remain troubled by the divisions of the last five years.
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The New Statesman magazine this week features interviews with David Lammy, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, and Jonathan Reynolds, the Shadow Business Secretary.
Editor-in-Chief Jason Cowley and Senior Editor George Eaton join Rachel Cunliffe on the podcast to discuss these interviews and how the new Labour cabinet - “Christian”, “working class” and “serious” - has been transformed from the Corbyn shadow cabinet of 2019.
The magazine also carries an interview with Jeremy Corbyn, and the team discuss the impact of his independent campaign in Islington North.
Read more:
David Lammy interview:
www.newstatesman.com/politics...
Jonathan Reynolds interview: www.newstatesman.com/politics...
Jeremy Corbyn interview:
www.newstatesman.com/politics...
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Watch all the latest episodes of the New Statesman podcast here: • The New Statesman Podcast
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[@NewStatesman]

Watch next: Our election endorsement - remove the Tories; vote Labour; vote tactically kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpWrqn9jgpqBa5o

[@ambivalentsheep]

Can anyone at NS explain how PM Corbyn would have been in any meaningful way worse for the UK than Johnson, Truss and Sunak?

[@pancho1993]

He would have been fantastic in my opinion.

[@storm21410]

Well I couldn't imagine Corbyn when the Ukraine invasion was starting. Corbyn may have decent domestic policies (although would've required a LOT of borrowing a la Truss) but his foreign policy was horrible

[@TheJosephPrice]

Defending terrorists like Hamas is a good enough reason he would’ve been worse, aside from crashing the economy with his far left lunacy.

[@jamespitman5450]

​@@storm21410 re Truss only Corbyn would have borrowed for capital investment and not tax cuts which is night and day

[@storm21410]

@@jamespitman5450 but he would have more than doubled what she borrowed. And capital investment can take time to bear fruits And the foreign policy stuff still stands up

[@fatgrubman645]

The unironic "they never ask if they were wrong" from the excited old neoliberal about to get yet another turn at the helm

[@jamesanthony9316]

Strange thing to say considering that Corbyn was the worst example of "im on the right side of history" that we've seen in recent years. His hubris set the left in this country back decades. That is why he haunts Labour to this day.

[@fatgrubman645]

@@jamesanthony9316 I think its self evident though, we face massive problems and they require different thinking to solve. We are going to see much the same thinking as the past few decades and the stagnation shall continue. I didn't say anything about JC because it isn't relevant anymore.

[@jamesanthony9316]

@fatgrubman645 nope yes agreed of course but we need to start with electoral reform to allow for alternatives but to get there we need a Labour party that can get elected. Not that Labour will reform vote system themselves but its a point of departure for change. It had to be the most cautious centre shooting status quo Labour manifesto to ensure a decent majority. With the Tories hanging around the broad base conversations around progressive change would never happen. Slow but hopeful.

[@fatgrubman645]

@@jamesanthony9316 Largely agree, I hope they are more ambitious in office. At least with a large majority there will be pressure to go further than they are set to.

[@RobinHarris-nf4yv]

@@jamesanthony9316 Labour have been fighting the lies of right wing populism, there is no political bandwidth for grown up debate until those Tory grifters screaming about foreigners and unisex loos have been err flushed down the toilet

[@Eltener123]

I wonder why Faiza Shaheen talking about Islamophobia in the Labour party and the Forde Report describing a "hierarchy of racism" meant absolutely nothing. Surely racism of all kinds is equally as bad as the anti-Semitism which caused the New Statesman to disown Labour under Corbyn...

[@goodmusicneverdies1302]

Starmer has pushed the party so far to the centre even those towards the middle of the left feel as ostracised as corbynites.. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@Visherex]

I feel that, this fuckin ground lost had better work 😂

[@Bingosaurus]

What centre? They are to the right of Thatcher.

[@californiadreamin8423]

Evidence please, be a sport.

[@noname-vc2ll]

yup. i'm a left wing liberal and not happy with starmer.

[@californiadreamin8423]

@@noname-vc2ll Well I’m not happy with the Lib Dem’s who had a clear choice in 2010 and got into bed with the Tories.

[@marcusfry2580]

Love how Corbyn still lives rent free in these peoples heads

[@pancho1993]

He literally said, that he would have Been a terrible prime minister

[@TheJosephPrice]

Yeah, that is what happens when you lose in a landslide to Boris Johnson of all people.

[@RobinHarris-nf4yv]

He lives rent free in yours

[@marcusfry2580]

@@RobinHarris-nf4yv triggered? 😂🤣

[@WanderingWarg]

The fact that the New Statesman considers Corbyn "radical Left" really says a lot about your neoliberal leanings.

[@jamesanthony9316]

You have completely missed their point. Of course he is in the context of our times. The general public sentiment is nowhere near as left as Corbyn im afraid that's just the reality of things. Given his age and history in politics it also means he represents a reminder of a different time and that was always going to go against him with the electorate.

[@ambivalentsheep]

@@jamesanthony9316 Public ownership of rail and energy? Big investment in health and education? The public absolutely are on his side. The British media is not.

[@Chad-qw8ok]

Exactly!

[@calumbishop7082]

One of the most interesting things that could happen at this election is what happens if Labour get less votes than they did in 2017. Many Corbynite's point to that 40%/roughly 12.9 million votes, as legitimacy towards Corbynism as an ideology. If Starmer gets less than that, some of the more left-wing figures in the party will question whether's Starmer's more 'centrist' approach is truly what the British people want, even if Labour gets a huge majority as a result of this election.

[@jeddgangman4502]

It’s important to remember that Corbyn ran on an even more exterme platform in 2019 so the 2017 vote isn’t as much a vidication of his ideology as one may think it was also before labour began leave or remain voters.

[@danksheev66]

@@jeddgangman4502 Corbyn should have stuck by the 2017 style manifesto tbh.

[@TimesFM4532]

Yes but may got even more after the train week of a campain

[@jamesanthony9316]

Yeh he got a lot of votes but they were stacked in predictable regions. The problem with Corbyn was hubris. He never had the broad appeal required to get elected in this country. While i am sympathetic to his policies I think he lacked pragmatism and he made some unforgiveable mistakes. Chiefly not just coming out for Brexit instead of hedging his bets. He needed to accept the result and lead a softer brexit. I say this as a remainer too, but the writing was clearly on the wall. To me this approach was the great blemish on his record, especially as he was always more inclined towards brexit anyway and we know this. For this reason he shares some blame for Boris Johnson because his campaign was flawed.

[@methanedirigible]

Jesus wept - give it up! The British people don’t go in for straight up socialism. You’ve gotta drip feed them progressive policies. You could run Corbyn in a million elections for a million years, but in the UK he would never win. Note: I voted for JC first leadership election. Then I realised being a protest party is for the SWP or Greens. If Labour was always too far left, we wouldn’t have got the NHS or minimum wage. Two triumphs for working class people.

[@nolslifegren]

Any working class people on the NS ?

[@julianshepherd2038]

A journalist is a middle class job.

[@californiadreamin8423]

Is Corbyn working class ? Not with his private education he’s not. Your question reveals your limitations.

[@daraorourke5798]

😂

[@nolslifegren]

@@californiadreamin8423 Wasnt asking about Corbyn was asking about the NS 😂 Whilst im on though at least Corbyn is pro working class , not something you could say about the NS 🤪

[@californiadreamin8423]

@@nolslifegren. Corbyn’s supports the working class my derrière. Wake up to his betrayal of the working people of the U.K. .

[@martinpawley647]

For god sake, change the record.

[@t9south]

“Corbin is a internationalist”? Strange how we are now outside the EU.

[@samuelaubrey2612]

I would have taken Corbyn above Sunak, truss or Boris any day. He wasn't anti-Semitic either. That was pure propaganda. Media did a real number on him.

[@Chad-qw8ok]

Corbyn's policy platform was far from radical. In Australia, these policies have been standard for 30 years, helping us become one of the wealthiest countries per capita in the world. Hence why Brits are moving here in droves seeking a better life. The New Statesman overlooks the impact of the neo-liberal backed media, which played a key role in Corbyn's defeat. People were swindled into voting against their own interests.

[@vincentl.9469]

Things can only get better ..that's what I heard when Blair came to power. Look what happened and think what could happen now ..

[@daraorourke5798]

Jezza will be their excuse for all their failings forevermore.

[@jamesroberts2216]

Corbyn as Jedi

[@joelhenry5489]

It's amazing to me how the Uk had the example of the US and saw very clearly the failure of a milquetoast, centrist left, which has enabled the rise of the far right and yet they are doing the same exact thing. Mediocrity has an inescapable gravity.

[@RobinHarris-nf4yv]

Corbyn lost twice Corbyn put right wing populism in power

[@mdog111]

Labour has been tranformed into the very definition of bland, 'do nothing' politics that will achieve nothing but maintain the status quo except without the personal pocket-lining associated with Johnson, Truss, Sunak and co. The millions of people who voted Labour in 2019 did so in the hope of seeing some real change in this country. The ONLY reason that Labour might win next week's election is because they are not the Tories.

[@RobinHarris-nf4yv]

Labour have plenty of meaningful policies, you need to read their manifesto instead relying on your uninformed opinion.

[@g.p616]

‘Progressive Realism’ means you can define a Woman as an “Adult Female!” 😂😂😂

[@thesciencegod2776]

"Tick the labour box out of habit!!" Your assumption that the voters of Islington want to vote for Corbyn and not labour is weird. He wins with the party backing but will lose without it. He needs to realise that it's party not personal.

[@samuelaubrey2612]

"radical" NS needs to get a grip

[@therealrobertbirchall]

Jeremy Corbyn is no more radical than Jhonson, Camoron, Sunnack, and even Thatcher.

[@Yaarmehearty]

I may agree with some of his politics but Corbyn is in is mid 70s, it’s things like this that really show that there needs to be a retirement age for MPs, whatever the state pension age at the time and then they shouldn’t be able to stand. He and the rest of the old MPs need to get out of the way for younger more representative candidates.

[@ambivalentsheep]

His politics was the most accepted by 18-24. Maybe career politicians speaking to the old should get out of the way.

[@petervousden691]

The language.....Corbyn "radical left" Why not "Far left?"

[@methanedirigible]

Cos the far left wouldn’t join Labour. There are far left parties. SWP, Communist party etc etc.

[@ambivalentsheep]

Cause he isn't Far Left. He isn't communist. He's socialist. Which was traditionally just the Left

[@Sahin876celik]

If labour wing left and right will keep parliament busy blair and corbyn should back to Labour

[@imageaware]

You sound completely unprofessional, just a bunch of Labour fanboys .

[@jamespitman5450]

Awful, incurious client journalism. Theres nothing 'really interesting' about how Labour portends to the future. They will change nothing for struggling people although they may do so with a veneer of competence mostly gifted to them by credulous journalism such as this. Though that mirage too will fade given time

[@RobinHarris-nf4yv]

What did Corbyn do for struggling people in 2017 and 2019? It’s a shame you’ve not read Labours manifesto, but then as you say you are incurious

[@Afterthoughtbtw]

Don't know if it was intended or not, but that last question returns beautifully to the very start. If you were to sum up all that is wrong with Corbyn (and his ilk), it's that he has very clearly never asked himself: 'what if we were wrong?' You see that in the way that he has refused to change his position re: Putin and NATO, even in response to the reality of his imperialism in Ukraine, and the speed with which countries bordering Russia immediately wanted to join NATO for protection. If more people were willing to ask themselves that famous Mitchell and Webb sketch question: 'Are we the baddies?' then the Earth would be a far better place.

[@NeoFighterX]

Thats what's wrong with your ilk. The UK can continue to decline, as long as you get your military industrial complex's biggest customer. I'll tell you who was wrong about Putin, the tories accepting donations and allowing investment visas from Putins allies. Boris Johnson that put Lebedev in the house of Lords. America gets rich off Nato, Putin inspires fear using Nato. Jeremy Corbyn is a hopeless pacifist no doubt, but I'd rather more people in this world who start dialogue with peace, than with war.

[@keithparker1346]

You're assuming that you are right when you're likely to be wrong

[@methanedirigible]

Yeah but… what if you’re wrong about that?

[@RobinHarris-nf4yv]

@@keithparker1346 Corbyn lost twice So he was wrong, the matter is settled

[@keithparker1346]

@@RobinHarris-nf4yv no it's not settled

[@pranabdas8570]

Since the era of committed 100 active participation in the protest march of nuclear disarmamemf marcb.wearkng cap in the image of Lenin, Corbin does not seem to have changed much. Despite my admiron I despise him.

[@JM-zf1zq]

only JC

[@g.p616]

“We’re HETERODOX”….. the New Statesman, heterodox… Man if you truly believe that, it shows just how long you’ve been in the Westminster, MSM, Woke bubble!😂😂😂

[@OzgunDoganbaloglu]

Transformed to what? New Conservative Party?

[@RobinHarris-nf4yv]

Silly comment

[@BrokenHill56]

Hmm, Lammy. He does not inspire confidence. A man that turns like a weather vane.

[@briandelaney9710]

No one on the that Labour Front Bench inspires. No Castles , Healeys , or Foots there

[@danksheev66]

Who does that remind me of? Starmer.

[@daraorourke5798]

Lammy, Streeting. Dodgy af.

[@robertb8895]

😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣🤣

[@TerryJC1971]

This is a non-story for most of us now. Jeremy standing as an Indy is his total right, but he is now not Labour. In the 70s he would have been branded a traitor. In reality he's likely to not be an MP after next week, time moves on. New challenges, new approach.

[@hilaryporter7841]

Labour needs "a permanent reminder of the divisions of the last 5 years". Starmer has to learn the lesson that he cannot take on the cloak of Labour when his true identity is that of foremost allegiance and loyalty to the foreign state of zionist israel (without qualification) and least allegiance is to the human rights of all citizens no matter where in the world. The Labour Party can never be allowed to forget that they gave away their honour in such a shameful way.

[@RobinHarris-nf4yv]

Unlike Corbyns allegiance and loyalty to Hamas terrorists

[@AaronEA01]

The New Statesman is my favorite news outlet since you have come out strong and swinging for Change with New Labour😊💪🏽 Vote out to help out❤

[@michaelgoulding6609]

VOTE REFORM UK

[@stephfoxwell4620]

The whole ghastly Corbyn episode will haunt them for decades. Britain dodged a bullet there.

[@calumbishop7082]

True, but will it haunt Labour as much as Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak and especially Liz Truss will haunt the Tories for decades to come. Everything with Corbyn was theoretical, he never actually implemented his proposals, and in contrast to a certain 'lettuce lady', he at least sought democratic legitimacy for his policies at elections. That was not the case with Liz Truss, she was forced onto Britain, and she forced her radical policies onto Britain despite not having any democratic support or legitimacy to make the economic changes she tried to implement, and she caused legitimate economic damage to the economy as a result. Her status as the shortest ever PM guarantees she will never be forgotten and the sheer scale of her failure is something the Tories will not be forgiven for, for a very long time. (And that's before we get into Boris or Rishi and their respective long list of failures).

[@pdempseyful]

I know, imagine having a leader with principles and who actually wants to help people 🙄

[@jeddgangman4502]

@@pdempseyfuldelusional

[@EWAScotland]

So you swallowed the right wing press kool aid didn’t you

[@pdempseyful]

@@jeddgangman4502 Thanks for your insightful input 👍

[@badcarlos551]

For all the difference in terms of background that the labour shadow cabinet has to the Tories, their policies are nevertheless the same

[@californiadreamin8423]

No they’re not.

[@RobinHarris-nf4yv]

I suggest you read their manifesto before commenting

[@badcarlos551]

@@RobinHarris-nf4yv It's an austerity manifesto: we've had similar since 2010

[@Wimbrock67]

Vote refrorm

[@VastheDeferens]

Starmer: Accused = Guilty (PMQs 19/04/23 3 mins 15 secs)

[@VastheDeferens]

Starmer: Accused = Guilty (PMQs 19/04/23 3 mins 15 secs)

[@VastheDeferens]

Starmer: Accused = Guilty (PMQs 19/04/23 3 mins 15 secs)

[@VastheDeferens]

Starmer: Accused = Guilty (PMQs 19/04/23 3 mins 15 secs)

[@VastheDeferens]

Starmer: Accused = Guilty (PMQs 19/04/23 3 mins 15 secs)

[@californiadreamin8423]

Says the ONE HOUR KZbinr !!

[@methanedirigible]

@@californiadreamin8423 I think these bot accounts are linked to Reform.