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Labour is laying out the red carpet for Boris Johnson – and Corbyn’s timid Brexit policy is to blame

Labour is in danger of fighting a traditional war when the battleground has changed. Its dividing line is no longer about class but about Leave and Remain

Andrew Grice
Thursday 01 August 2019 09:35 BST
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Jeremy Corbyn says he is 'not in the slightest' bit worried about going up against Boris Johnson in general election

The Labour Party needs to talk about… Boris. Surprisingly, it seemed unprepared for Boris Johnson taking power, even though it was hardly a surprise when he won the Tory leadership. I see little evidence of a Labour strategy on Boris.

A new prime minister will always set the media agenda, and Boris is big enough to dominate it. Yet Labour has been missing in action in his first week. I suspect some Labour figures bank on Johnson being unpopular that he is Boris Mark II after the divisive 2016 referendum, rather than the Mark I version who twice won a mayoral election in Labour-leaning London.

The problem for Labour is that some centrist voters will contrast what looks like Johnson’s strength with Jeremy Corbyn’s relative weakness. Some might think that having a big figure in charge at a difficult time would be good for the country. Labour hated Margaret Thatcher, but many voters did not, and she won three elections.

Labour sources say the party’s focus groups show that Boris is seen as leader of an “out-of-touch elite” who will protect the richest from the worst effects of Brexit. This dovetails neatly with Corbyn’s claim to stand up for “the many, not the few”.

But I think Labour is in danger of fighting a traditional war when the battleground has changed. Its dividing line is no longer about class but about Leave and Remain. Corbyn is still stuck in no man’s land, unable to choose whose side Labour would be on at a general election which becomes increasingly likely by the day.

It appeared that Corbyn had, albeit reluctantly, bowed to pressure from Labour members to support a Final Say referendum and to advocate for Remain. But he now seems to have tacked back to an equivocal position, perhaps spooked by Johnson’s move on to Labour territory in Leave-supporting areas in the North and Midlands.

Appearing on Sophy Ridge on Sunday on Sky News, Corbyn said: “If we win an election then we’re going to have talks with the EU.” He declined to say whether he would rather back Remain or leave the EU with a Labour deal. He said Labour would achieve its goals of “investment, jobs, trade and equality” whether that was “in or out of the EU”. The leader’s indecision is final.

Shilly-shallying might have worked while Theresa May was prime minister. It is not going to work in the Boris era. Whether Labour likes it or not, Johnson has a clear strategy on the major issue of the day. Labour must match that; the only way for it to go is all-out for Remain and a referendum in all circumstances.

Yes, Labour will lose some votes to the Tories in Leave areas. But that is already happening. A YouGov poll today puts the Tories 10 points ahead of Labour. The Liberal Democrats are breathing down Labour’s neck. What do they offer that Labour does not? Clarity on Brexit.

Corbyn sometimes seems reluctant to talk about Brexit. It’s clear his heart is not in his party’s shift to Remain and referendum in the event of a Tory Brexit. Yesterday, to the dismay of some Labour MPs, he was in his comfort zone, talking about fracking in Lancashire.

True, it plays well with his base, and Labour must be alert to the threat from the Greens and Lib Dems. But with a no-deal exit looming large and dominating the media, it was left to Helen Roberts from the National Sheep Association to accuse Johnson of “playing Russian roulette with the industry”.

There’s another reason why Labour should be worried about Boris: he is splashing the cash in a way May never did. His spending pledges are already estimated at £65bn, and there’s more to come; he will soon take the fight to Labour on its NHS home ground. May’s attempts to convince voters that austerity is over were unconvincing. Johnson, an infinitely better communicator, might succeed, and that would be bad news for Labour.

Watching Corbyn’s interview on Sunday, I sensed he was already switching his focus from austerity to inequality. A vital issue, of course, but it’s not going to win Labour a Brexit-dominated election.

What should Labour do? It’s the economy, stupid. John McDonnell gets that. Not talking about a ban on fracking. But a relentless attack on Johnson’s reckless no deal and game of Russian roulette with people’s jobs and living standards.

It’s a clear Brexit policy, articulated not by McDonnell or Sir Keir Starmer, but Corbyn. It’s got to be trumpeted from the top. If Labour can’t do that, and talk about the biggest issue facing the country, it will soon have to talk about... Jeremy.

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