Election Politics: Have Momentum Shown Their Hand too Early ?...
Having warned of the dangers of a Momentum ‘coup’ for some months now (see link to previous blog), I was intrigued to see the row developing within Labour ranks this week about Diane Abbott’s candidacy (or lack of it) in the forthcoming election. Starmer has been at great pains over the past 2 years to rid the party of all trace of Corbynite ‘hard left’ influence, realising its catastrophic effect on the party’s electability after the election debacle of 2019. What little doubt there may have been in the voters' minds that he has singularly failed to achieve his eradication objective will have been removed in the past 24 hours. Far from ‘keeping their powder dry’ until Starmer was safely installed in #10 as many predicted, ‘Abbott’s last stand’ has brought Momentum tumbling out of the woodwork and created an almighty row within Labour’s ranks. Some media reports have even likened it to a civil war. Rayner is already 'on the case' for the left, and has defied Starmer