The Labour Party is preparing to deselect former leader Jeremy Corbyn and replace him with a new candidate in his Islington North seat, it has emerged.
Discussions have been held at the top of the party about how to oust the former leader from the seat he has held since 1983, The Sunday Times said, after he had the whip removed for stating that claims of anti-Semitism under his leadership were “dramatically overstated”.
An insider told the paper that party chiefs are “determined” to bring the situation “to a head” because they feel “the current position is not sustainable”. If he is deselected, Corbyn would have a number of paths open to him in his post-Labour career.
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Fight his seat as an independent
Corbyn would have an “inbuilt advantage” if he took this route, said The Sunday Times. Having been the area’s MP for nearly 40 years he would be expected to benefit from being the incumbent.
At the last general election, Corbyn attracted 64% of the vote in the constituency. And those close to him believe the long-standing socialist MP is popular enough to win the seat without Labour’s backing, the paper added.
This would leave Labour with the prospect of “having to parachute in a new candidate to contest his seat at the last minute”.
Work on his charity
Announced in December 2020, Corbyn’s Peace and Justice Project aims to “bring people together for social and economic justice, peace, and human rights, in Britain and across the world”.
But despite garnering widespread press attention at its launch, the charity has yet to grab headlines and Corbyn might favour an opportunity to focus his attention on it.
Reports have suggested that he wants to undertake a nationwide tour to meet voters and focus on his favourite political issues, such as workers’ rights, human rights and nuclear disarmament.
Form his own party
Last month, it was reported that the former Labour leader had been “urged by many in his inner circle” to turn his charity into a fully-fledged political party.
A “close ally” of the former leader did not deny to The Telegraph that Corbyn had considered the possibility of his charity project being transformed into a political party. A spokesperson for the charity said there were currently “no plans” to do so.
Attack Starmer from the outside
There is little love lost between Corbyn and Keir Starmer, who occupy different wings of the Labour Party. Tensions have grown between the former and current leader after Starmer accused the Stop the War Coalition, of which Corbyn is now deputy president, of siding with the UK’s enemies.
In an opinion article for The Guardian, Starmer also accused Stop the War of “naivety and weakness” amid the ongoing stand-off between Russia and Ukraine.
Corbyn said those remarks were “very unfair”, according to the Daily Express, adding that after the 9/11 attacks, the group “condemned the attack on the World Trade Centre” while stating that “an invasion and occupation of Afghanistan is not the solution”.
Retirement
Writing for The Telegraph, columnist Suzanne Moore pointed out that Corbyn will be 74 by the expected time of the next general election. At that age, she said, “most people” would retire.
Stepping back from politics would allow him “to do community work”, as well as “spending more time on his allotment”. But she does not expect him to hang up his boots, with Corbyn stating: “I’ve never gone through life with the intention of retiring.”
