• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

MayorWatch

London News and Comment

  • NEWS
  • Twitter

Khan backers may not want to hear it, but some in Labour would prefer he lost

November 20, 2015 - Martin Hoscik@MayorWatch

sadiq_centre_for_londonA few days after Sadiq Khan was selected as Labour’s Mayoral candidate and Jeremy Corbyn overtook Labour’s centrists to win one of the biggest personal mandates ever seen in British politics, I wrote:

“I and other London journalists have heard from a host of Labour figures at all levels in the party identifying a Khan loss next year as the most justifiable way of tipping Corbyn out of the leader’s office.”

Some of Sadiq’s backers thought this was just idle gossip. Others, perhaps taking a cue from their man who once accused me of inventing his mayoral ambitions, claimed I’d fabricated the whole thing.

But the report was true and the noises of discontent which fuelled it sufficiently widespread that they even reached the ears of a journalist as unimportant and disconnected from Westminster as I am.

Others, including Kevin Maguire, have also heard from Labour MPs who “would be prepared to sacrifice Sadiq Khan at next May’s London mayoral contest if it would trigger a regime change.”

And defeat in London would, according to former Gordon Brown advisor Damian McBride, see Corbyn “gone within a week” – a prediction which surely provides strong motivation for those who’d prefer anyone else to be in charge of the party to be busy when Sadiq calls for campaigners and fundraising support?

Let there be no doubt – a third consecutive Mayoral defeat would be a huge set-back for Labour and a calamity from which Corbyn would probably be unable to recover.

A substantial number of people in Labour see London as their city and believe Boris Johnson’s presence at City Hall to be a temporary aberration which will soon correct itself.

Many in the party talk about Labour having won the General Election in London and see a win next May as the most likely, and in the case of some activists inevitable, outcome.

So the sight of Boris Johnson and David Cameron cheering a victorious Zac Goldsmith would be as unexpected as it would unwelcome and lead to a new round of squabbles as each faction blamed the other.

It’s hard to see, even with the distance between regional and Westminster politics, how Corbyn would ultimately hang on as MPs became increasingly concerned about their own electoral prospects under his continued leadership.

The smart people at the top of Labour know this and will devote every resource the party has to bolster Khan’s chances, including mobilising the enthusiastic and energetic army of Corbyn backers.

Their efforts could give him a key advantage in the street by street canvassing and campaigning needed to get voters out and easily counteract the reticence or sudden unavailability of anti-Corbyn plotters and help sweep Khan into power.

So while Labour’s increasingly public squabbles certainly make it harder for Sadiq to emerge as London’s next mayor, it’s not an impossibility. He’s already defied expectations and could do so again.

But it’s foolish to pretend that there aren’t people within the party who think its longterm future is best served by his defeat.

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

Tagged With: 2016 London Elections

RECENT UPDATES

Record number of candidates stand in London’s Mayoral election

TfL and Siemens unveil new Piccadilly line Tube train designs

852 new homes to be built in Acton by Transport for London

HGV operators in London urged to apply for a Direct Vision Standard permit




POPULAR

City Hall to move to Docklands as Mayor seeks to raise £55m for frontline services

‘Concern’ over TfL’s ability to deliver major projects in wake of Crossrail cost overruns

City Hall halts London Overground ticket office closures but many will still see opening hours reduced

Transport for London confirms bus cuts will go ahead despite passenger opposition

GOT A STORY?

As the original London news and scrutiny site we've been casting an eye over the capital's public services and politicians since 1999.

 

Many of our top stories started with a tip-off from a reader - if you've got something you'd like us to cover get in touch and we'll do the rest.

Stay In Touch

  • E-mail
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2021 MayorWatch Publications Limited · MayorWatch is Registered Trademark · All Rights Reserved · Contact Us · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy

MayorWatch Publications Limited · 20-22 Wenlock Road · London N1 7GU · Company Number 6291816

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.