Tom Watson has no intention of practising Corbyn’s ‘kinder, gentler’ politics

If Jeremy Corbyn’s speech yesterday was the musings of a left-wing activist, Tom Watson’s today was that of someone who is interested in winning elections. Watson made clear to the conference delegates that what matters is getting back into office and set about explaining how he thought Labour could do that. He told the hall, that if they weren’t interested in representing small business owners, then they wouldn’t be in government again. He said that after its ‘summer of introspection’, it was time for Labour to get back to making its case to the country again. It was a strikingly different tone to Corbyn’s yesterday.

Watson clearly has no intention of practising the ‘kinder, gentler’ politics that Corbyn has called for this week. He began his speech by attacking the Liberal Democrats for being ‘lying sell-outs’ and ended it by calling on the party ‘to kick these Tories down the road to where they belong’.