Freshly returned from Glastonbury, Tom Watson has spoken out about today’s turmoil in the Labour Party. The Deputy Leader has said he was ‘extremely disappointed’ to see Hilary Benn sacked and ‘equally saddened’ by the departure of so many colleagues from the Shadow Cabinet. He added, ominously, that tomorrow he will meet Jeremy Corbyn to discuss the ‘way forward’.
Watson does not give any indication of whether he believes that the way forward involves Corbyn as leader, though his sentiments about his colleagues leaving the front bench suggest that he isn’t going to join the Corbyn camp in vowing to fight on as things are.
Many of those plotting against Corbyn who I have spoken to today are hoping that he will do the ‘decent thing’ and step down before the vote of no confidence has to take place, though he seems in no mood for that yet. There seems to be a split between those who think it is essential for the party to unite around one candidate to replace Corbyn, and those who don’t think this matters, and that the only important thing to do is to keep him off the ballot paper for the new contest.
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