Keir Starmer can never allow Jeremy Corbyn to return

Keir Starmer had no control over whether to end the suspension of Jeremy Corbyn after only 19 days. Yet it was up to him, as party leader, whether or not to restore the party whip to the former leader. This choice represented another big moment for Starmer. He knew he had to do something before PMQs today, lest he hand Boris Johnson a PR coup. Starmer’s decision not to give Corbyn back the whip is surely the right one. But for Starmer, here’s the bad news: this drama is far from over.

Starmer is now in a position where refusing to give the whip back to his predecessor as Labour leader will always be deeply within his political interests. It is almost impossible to imagine a situation in which allowing Corbyn back into the fold won’t be seen as Starmer backtracking on his ‘under new management’ mantra, on anti-Semitism and on making the Labour party electable again.