Keir Starmer’s approach to party discipline is being favourably contrasted with Boris Johnson’s after the Labour leader sacked Rebecca Long-Bailey from his shadow cabinet for sharing an article that included an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory. The argument goes that Starmer has shown quick, clear and decisive action by letting Long-Bailey go whereas the Prime Minister has failed to do so by sticking with his Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick.
Starmer’s decisive action on Thursday has seen him win praise from unlikely places. However, within his own party it has led to a backlash from those on the left. Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was among a group of socialist MPs who met Starmer this morning to express their concerns and call for Long-Bailey to be reinstated. The question is whether they can do anything in response to make Starmer’s life difficult. The fact that former shadow chancellor John McDonnell resorted to sharing an online petition calling for Long-Bailey to get her job back suggests that they have limited levers to pull.
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