Supporters of Corbyn gear up for Labour leadership election after overwhelming vote of no confidence from party MPs
Grassroots organisations such as Momentum and some of the biggest trade unions are preparing for a new leadership campaign in defence of Jeremy Corbyn after an overwhelming vote of no confidence from Labour MPs.
Momentum, set up after Corbyn’s victory last September to build on the enthusiasm generated during his campaign, held rallies in Newcastle, Leeds and Bristol on Tuesday after the vote. Thousands had demonstrated outside parliament on Monday night. Corbyn has a strong chance of fending off a challenge if he can retain the support of the unions and the loyalty of the hundreds of thousands of members. He won in September with 59.5% of the vote.
MPs seeking to remove him are hoping much of that support has been eroded by discontent with his performances against David Cameron at prime minister’s questions, by scepticism over his ability to win a general election and by his lacklustre campaign in support of remain in the European Union referendum.
They also hope that by fielding just one candidate against him rather than three they stand a better chance of removing him.
Crucially for Corbyn, one of the biggest unions, Unite, has thrown its weight behind him. Shrugging off speculation that Unite’s support for him was wavering, Len McCluskey confirmed his continued support for the Labour leader. “The extraordinary behaviour of Labour MPs has achieved nothing beyond diverting attention from a Tory government in crisis,” McCluskey said.
“If anyone wants to change the Labour leadership, they must do it openly and democratically through an election, not through resignations and pointless posturing. If there has to be such an election, Jeremy Corbyn’s supporters throughout the movement will be ready for it.”
Jeremy Corbyn with Len McCluskey at a steelworkers’ march in London in May. Photograph: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty
The unions played a crucial role in the previous Labour leadership election, providing the financial backing as well as contributing activists to organise campaign events and staff phone banks.
Manuel Cortes, the general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association, also backed Corbyn. “It is almost unbelievable to watch the Labour party plunge into a crisis of its own making as its MPs involve themselves in childish, self-indulgent behaviour which doesn’t befit their office,” he said. James Schneider, a spokesman for Momentum, which claims to have up to 100,000 members, said: “I think an enormous part of the Labour party membership and the Labour movement will be upset, disappointed and angry at the parliamentary Labour party’s vote.”
