What was said at Labour’s ‘election post-mortem’?
Jeremy Corbyn under fire during ‘brutal inquest’ into historic defeat
Jeremy Corbyn has faced a barrage of criticism and accusations of incompetence from Labour MPs during a “post-mortem” of the party’s general election drubbing.
During a two-hour meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party last night in the Commons, the Labour leader was told that his successor must be someone who can win over the public rather than just party members.
But Corbyn told MPs that while he was “very sorry for the result, for which I take responsibility”, the devestating defeat was “ultimately about Brexit”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What was the criticism of Corbyn?
The “brutal inquest” into the party’s worst defeat since 1935 saw Corbyn being “subjected to a 20-minute public tirade by a defeated Labour candidate who accused him of betraying working-class voters”, says The Times.
Former shadow cabinet minister Rachel Reeves told the embattled leader that Labour’s manifesto had made the party look “economically illiterate”, and then launched a personal attack on him, reports The Telegraph.
“We’ve all heard lots of reasons for the election defeat, but the real reason was you. The biggest drag on our vote was you,” Reeves told Corbyn.
Jess Phillips, a likely leadership contender, also weighed in, quoting a text from Melanie Onn, the losing Great Grimsby candidate, who said that she had not had any messages of commiseration or apology from Corbyn or his team since the election result.
David Lammy criticised the “cult” of Corbyn, saying: “I have faith, I go to church on a Sunday, but can I make a plea that we keep the faith there and end this faith-based cult once and for all.”
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
And Eltham MP Clive Efford - who leads the Tribune group of mainly “soft-left” Labour MPs - said he held the Labour leader responsible for council estate votes going to the Tories.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton, a former justice secretary, later told BBC Two’s Newsnight that “the feeling is like a volcano of molten anger that is absolutely pouring out. It’s been there in the building the whole day.”
Veteran MP Margaret Hodge has also described the “fury” at the election post-mortem meeting, and accused the party of “corporate amnesia” for failing to learn the lessons of previous defeats, The Independent reports.
Meanwhile, Mary Creagh - who lost her Wakefield seat after 14 years in the Commons - said her anger had spilled over after she spotted Corbyn taking selfies with a group of young people in a public area of Parliament.
“I told him he shouldn’t be having his photo taken with young people because he had betrayed their future,” she said. “I asked him to apologise for what he’d done.”
The MPs’ feeling were echoed by former prime minister Tony Blair, who said in a speech this morning in London that “Labour needs not just a different driver, but a different bus”.
“Any attempt to whitewash this defeat, pretend it is something other than it is, or the consequence of something other than the obvious, will cause irreparable damage to our relationship with the electorate,” said Blair, who has published a damning report on the party’s election failure.
“The first task is to discard the sectarian ultra-left politics that has taken the party over and condemned it to the wilderness of opposition.”
Did anyone back Corbyn?
Two MPs spoke in defence of their leader at the election post-mortem. Claudia Webbe, the new MP for Leicester East, provoked laughter by insisting that Labour had a “lot to celebrate”, says The Guardian.
Kate Osborne, the new MP for Jarrow, also defended Corbyn, according to The Times.
But the overall sentiment was clear as the MPs made their way into the Commons meeting room while journalists hovered outside. Addressing the reporters, Manchester Central MP Lucy Powell said: “We’re irrelevant. Why do you give a fuck?”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why more and more adults are reaching for soft toys
Under The Radar Does the popularity of the Squishmallow show Gen Z are 'scared to grow up'?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Magazine solutions - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
By The Week US Published
-
Magazine printables - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
By The Week US Published
-
Labour's plan for change: is Keir Starmer pulling a Rishi Sunak?
Today's Big Question New 'Plan for Change' calls to mind former PM's much maligned 'five priorities'
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
John Prescott: was he Labour's last link to the working class?
Today's Big Quesiton 'A total one-off': tributes have poured in for the former deputy PM and trade unionist
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Last hopes for justice for UK's nuclear test veterans
Under the Radar Thousands of ex-service personnel say their lives have been blighted by aggressive cancers and genetic mutations
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will Donald Trump wreck the Brexit deal?
Today's Big Question President-elect's victory could help UK's reset with the EU, but a free-trade agreement with the US to dodge his threatened tariffs could hinder it
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What is the next Tory leader up against?
Today's Big Question Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick will have to unify warring factions and win back disillusioned voters – without alienating the centre ground
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Labour risking the 'special relationship'?
Today's Big Question Keir Starmer forced to deny Donald Trump's formal complaint that Labour staffers are 'interfering' to help Harris campaign
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What is Lammy hoping to achieve in China?
Today's Big Question Foreign secretary heads to Beijing as Labour seeks cooperation on global challenges and courts opportunities for trade and investment
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Men in Gray suits: why the plots against Starmer's top adviser?
Today's Big Question Increasingly damaging leaks about Sue Gray reflect 'bitter acrimony' over her role and power struggle in new government
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published