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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/dec/30/labour-leadership-long-bailey-clive-lewis-corbyn-should-have-kept-fighting-for-remain-says-clive-lewis-live-news
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| Labour leadership contest: Corbyn should have kept fighting for remain, says Clive Lewis - live news | Labour leadership contest: Corbyn should have kept fighting for remain, says Clive Lewis - live news |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen | Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen |
| I’m describing Clive Lewis as a Labour leadership candidate because he has confirmed that he wants to run, as has Emily Thornberry. Sir Keir Starmer and Rebecca Long-Bailey also seem all but certain to run. Other people who are seriously considering running, or who at least have not ruled it out, are: Lisa Nandy, Jess Phillips, Yvette Cooper, Ian Lavery, David Lammy and Dan Jarvis. | |
| But it is worth pointing out that, to be a candidate on the ballot paper, it is not enough for an MP just to declare that they are standing. They also need the support of 10% of Labour MPs (ie, 21 MPs). It used to be 15%, but the threshold was lowered after Jeremy Corbyn’s election as leader. Under the new rules, candidates also need the support of 5% of constituency Labour parties (CLPs) to be included on the ballot (that’s 33 of them), or 5% of the union/affiliates vote. Luke Akehurst has a more detailed guide to the new rules here, in an article for Politics.co.uk. | |
| While Starmer and Long-Bailey, the two frontrunners, should easily be able to meet these requirements, some other candidates hoping to be on the ballot, including possibly Lewis himself, may find it more difficult. | |
| Here are some more lines from what Clive Lewis, the shadow Treasury minister and Labour leadership contender, said in his Today programme interview this morning. (See 9.11am.) | Here are some more lines from what Clive Lewis, the shadow Treasury minister and Labour leadership contender, said in his Today programme interview this morning. (See 9.11am.) |
| Lewis said that the explanation for Labour’s election defeat was complicated and that, although Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership and Brexit were factors, there were other reasons too, going back years. He said: | Lewis said that the explanation for Labour’s election defeat was complicated and that, although Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership and Brexit were factors, there were other reasons too, going back years. He said: |
| He said that he knew from personal experience on the doorstep that Corbyn’s leadership was a problem for the party. | He said that he knew from personal experience on the doorstep that Corbyn’s leadership was a problem for the party. |
| He restated his call for more internal democracy in the Labour party. | He restated his call for more internal democracy in the Labour party. |
| He said the party needed to complete a “complete analysis” of why it lost the election. That had to happen quickly, he said, and the exercise should not be a sectarian one. He said he supported the inquiry being launched by Labour Together, and he said he hoped it would be rigorous. | He said the party needed to complete a “complete analysis” of why it lost the election. That had to happen quickly, he said, and the exercise should not be a sectarian one. He said he supported the inquiry being launched by Labour Together, and he said he hoped it would be rigorous. |
| In his London Playbook briefing for Politico Europe Jack Blanchard has a good single-paragraph analysis of Rebecca Long-Bailey’s article for the Guardian setting out her pitch for the leadership. He says: | In his London Playbook briefing for Politico Europe Jack Blanchard has a good single-paragraph analysis of Rebecca Long-Bailey’s article for the Guardian setting out her pitch for the leadership. He says: |
| Good morning. I hope you all had a good Christmas. Politics Live is back today, although with parliament still in recess, and much of the UK still in holiday mode, the news agenda is looking a lot thinner than it has been recently. | Good morning. I hope you all had a good Christmas. Politics Live is back today, although with parliament still in recess, and much of the UK still in holiday mode, the news agenda is looking a lot thinner than it has been recently. |
| But the Labour leadership campaign has been rumbling on throughout the Christmas period. It is still at the preliminary skirmishes stage, but this morning Clive Lewis, the shadow Treasury minister and one of only two candidates who have confirmed that they are running (the other is Emily Thornberry) gave an interview to the Today programme about what went wrong for Labour at the election. He said on Brexit the party should have fought more strongly for remain. Asked if the party should have adopted an out-and-out remain position, he replied: | But the Labour leadership campaign has been rumbling on throughout the Christmas period. It is still at the preliminary skirmishes stage, but this morning Clive Lewis, the shadow Treasury minister and one of only two candidates who have confirmed that they are running (the other is Emily Thornberry) gave an interview to the Today programme about what went wrong for Labour at the election. He said on Brexit the party should have fought more strongly for remain. Asked if the party should have adopted an out-and-out remain position, he replied: |
| Lewis was a member of the shadow cabinet until he resigned in 2017 so that he could vote against the bill allowing the government to trigger article 50, starting the process that will lead to the UK leaving the EU. Before the election he also strongly backed Another Europe is Possible’s “Remain, Reform, Revolt” campaign, saying the UK should remain. | Lewis was a member of the shadow cabinet until he resigned in 2017 so that he could vote against the bill allowing the government to trigger article 50, starting the process that will lead to the UK leaving the EU. Before the election he also strongly backed Another Europe is Possible’s “Remain, Reform, Revolt” campaign, saying the UK should remain. |
| I will post more from Lewis’s interview, which expands on an article he wrote for the Guardian earlier this month confirming his candidature, shortly. It follows two other Labour leadership developments overnight. | I will post more from Lewis’s interview, which expands on an article he wrote for the Guardian earlier this month confirming his candidature, shortly. It follows two other Labour leadership developments overnight. |
| Rebecca Long-Bailey has made her opening pitch for the Labour leadership, avoiding any direct criticism of Corbyn but implicitly offering an alternative approach by promising to champion “progressive patriotism”. She did so in an article for the Guardian. My story about it is here, and the article itself is here. | Rebecca Long-Bailey has made her opening pitch for the Labour leadership, avoiding any direct criticism of Corbyn but implicitly offering an alternative approach by promising to champion “progressive patriotism”. She did so in an article for the Guardian. My story about it is here, and the article itself is here. |
| In her article Long-Bailey, like Lewis, criticises the party’s Brexit position, saying: “Our compromise solution satisfied too few.” But she does not say what the party should have done instead. | In her article Long-Bailey, like Lewis, criticises the party’s Brexit position, saying: “Our compromise solution satisfied too few.” But she does not say what the party should have done instead. |
| Ian Lavery, the Labour party chair, has confirmed that he is considering standing for the leadership. A spokesman for Lavery told the Daily Mirror: | Ian Lavery, the Labour party chair, has confirmed that he is considering standing for the leadership. A spokesman for Lavery told the Daily Mirror: |
| As usual, I will be covering breaking political news as it happens (in so far as there is any), as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web. I will post a summary when I wrap up. | As usual, I will be covering breaking political news as it happens (in so far as there is any), as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web. I will post a summary when I wrap up. |
| You can read all the latest Guardian politics articles here. Here is the Politico Europe roundup of this morning’s political news. And here is the PoliticsHome list of today’s top 10 must-reads. | You can read all the latest Guardian politics articles here. Here is the Politico Europe roundup of this morning’s political news. And here is the PoliticsHome list of today’s top 10 must-reads. |
| If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter, I’m on @AndrewSparrow. | If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter, I’m on @AndrewSparrow. |
| I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone. | I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone. |
| If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. | If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. |