This week in Brexitland, March 2, 2023

Starmer’s dilemma in Islington North - who the hell would want the job?

I would like to put myself forward to be Labour’s candidate in Islington North at the next general election. I would love to take on Corbyn as the Labour candidate. I would stick it to him on his record as leader, on his words around the Ukraine invasion and - coming onto the topic of this newsletter - his handling of Brexit, both before June 2016 and after. As for being piled upon by far left activists, that is just the average Tuesday on Twitter for me, so whatever.

However, I have to spoil something here, straight off. I am not going to be the Labour candidate for Islington North for some pretty basic reasons. One, I am not a member of the Labour Party, nor have I ever been a member of the Labour Party. I have never even voted Labour at a general election before (although I do intend to at the next opportunity). People can become Tory party political candidates while having no prior affiliation to the party - that doesn’t happen in Labour.

Yet even if I was a Labourite with a long-standing history in the party, as opposed to someone who was a member of another political party for almost a decade before 2016, there is no way I could become a candidate given my opinion on Brexit. While I don’t think the Labour Party can avoid having pro-European candidates from here on and to their credit, I don’t think they will attempt to, having someone as Remainery as me is not in keeping with the times.

So, who will be Labour’s party political candidate in Islington North then?

Some have suggested that Luciana Berger’s re-admittance to the Labour Party paves the way for her to be the candidate there. After everything she has been through, I don’t see how this would be a good idea in the abstract, or one that Berger herself would want to take up. The abuse she would face would be unreal, particularly given she is both Jewish and a woman, two categories that certain portions of the left at present like to see as fair game. No, if she’s going to run again - and I’m assuming she will - a safe seat without this level of danger should be offered to her. Given there are a lot of constituencies across the country that at the moment one could look upon as being pretty safe for Labour, this shouldn’t be tricky.

If not Luciana Berger, who might run for Labour in Islington North?

Let’s start with Labour councillors in Islington. I don’t know all of them personally, but I know the area a little (I lived in the constituency on and off over a decade, clocking up about seven odd years in the seat) and I figure they will fall into one of two categories:

1. People who explicitly love Corbyn, the man

2. People who might be willing to think Corbyn got it wrong in a few places as leader but for the most part agree with Corbyn’s politics

Category one probably wouldn’t run against Corbyn (I am assuming for the moment that Corbyn will actually run as an independent, or at least, the assumption will be there for a while that he might very well do so, meaning anyone standing has to consider they will be running against him as a factor). Category two might be willing to run against Corbyn, but do so in a way that turns out to be unhelpful.

I don’t think you can run against Corbyn on a “Jeremy was right about almost everything, but…” platform. I think if Corbyn runs in Islington North next time round, you have to really go after him if you’re the Labour candidate (if Corbyn doesn’t run, then this is one of the safest Labour seats in the country, so who cares what you do, frankly). I mean, at the very least you have to say why it was right for him to lose the whip and be deselected and why you, whoever you are that wants to be the Labour MP for Islington North, will do better. This is the basic minimum required here.

I have a difficult time thinking of anyone in the local party who would do all this with enough gusto (repeating again that I don’t them all personally, so I suppose you never know).

If not someone local, then there is a candidate that Labour HQ flies in to run for them in Islington North. This person will be loyal to the party for a start (you’d assume, at least) and LOTO could tailor this individual’s campaign to whatever those around Starmer think would work best. These are large advantages. Yes, there is the question here of whether you install someone straight up or you put it to the local membership and hope for the best, but let’s assume the former for now. Even still, you will run into large problems, even if you don’t have huge issues with the CLP (which you will, particularly if LOTO is installing someone directly, but I digress).

For a start, it’s difficult to see anyone who has worked hard over numerous years to carve out a niche for themselves within the Labour Party either wanting to do this or if they did at first, liking it much once they were in the thick of it. Having to butt heads with a sea of former Labour activists will be unpleasant for someone who sees the Labour Party as their spiritual home, a movement filled with all things good and progressive. I can even imagine at worst someone like this being simply a slightly more centrist version of “Jeremy got most things right, but…”.

Who does that leave to run for Labour in Islington North then? We have exhausted all of the categories of people Labour would ever traditionally get to run in this kind of seat. I have a proposal, one that I can almost guarantee will never be taken up.

You need someone who I think is sympathetic to this version of the Labour Party - but with no history and/or baggage within the party. A person who likes Starmer, definitely does not like Corbyn and is willing to take the latter on if it comes to it and, possibly most importantly, is more than willing to take the heat that will come their way. This narrows down the list a fair bit.

I also think the candidate should be explicitly, vocally pro-European. Not just because that’s what I happen to believe in myself, but because I think it is one of the best issues to attack Corbyn on, particularly from “the left”. I think a way into the hearts of Islington North leftists who might be willing to look past Corbyn is to convince them you are an impassioned pro-European. I’ll put it this way: you are never going to out-left Corbyn, but out-Remaining him is fairly easy.

That’s why I say to the Labour leader’s office - I’m available if you get desperate. I will be a pain in the ass on Europe, I can guarantee that much, but I won’t have any squeamishness about taking on Corbyn. Phone lines are open and I am susceptible to saying yes to lunch.

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