LONDON (Labour Buzz) - Labour has been haemorrhaging members since the arrival of Sir Keir Starmer as a leader to the tune of 250 a day according to the Times. With the ongoing crisis surrounding Jeremy Corbyn, those numbers appear to be accelerating. While many within Labour will be pleased to see the so-called ‘hard left’ heading for the hills they could do well to remember the old saying: careful what you wish for.
According to the reports, membership fell by 57,000 between April and November. It’s the first time party membership has registered a fall since Jeremy Corbyn was swept to power on a tide of grassroots enthusiasm in 2016.
The exodus has accelerated with recent weeks after the controversy surrounding his suspension, reinstatement and then removal of the whip. According to the latest figures from Labour, the party had 552,835 members eligible to vote in its leadership election in April. That figure fell to 495,961 for the NEC elections last week with some insiders believing the real number could be below 450,000 once lapsed memberships of people who have simply stopped paying their fees comes into consideration.
Labour remains the largest political party in the UK by membership well ahead of the 180,000 who admit to being Tories. However, the drop in membership will bring a hit to party coffers at a time when the party faces battles in a host of important local and mayoral elections.
To some in the centre, this news comes with a considerable upside in that Starmer will be able to consolidate his control of the party. Even so, recent NEC elections in which candidates from the left won five of nine seats show the left is still a force to be reckoned with.
To compensate for that lost membership revenue, the party is embarking on a cash drive from big donors to offset funding from the unions and membership. However, that hardly paints a picture of a grassroots party representing the working classes. As the Tories have shown, going begging to the rich for money tends to lead to uncomfortable compromises especially when it comes down to which companies should be given contracts to lead the fightback against COVID 19.
More importantly, the alienation of the left may hit the party where it hurts the most: at the ballot box. The excitement of a few weeks ago when Labour edged into the lead in national polls has been dampened somewhat as they have fallen behind.
Considering the chaos which has engulfed the government this year, the opposition to its policies and levels of dissatisfaction about its handling of the pandemic, this should be a worry. 2020 has been about as bad as it could possibly be for Johnson and his cronies. That they still lead in most polls is remarkable.
As Joe Biden’s success in the US shows appealing to ‘soft conservatives’ doesn’t get you very far. Winning will not happen without the young or without the left, both of whom have been treated with contempt by a leadership which appears allergic to any kind of dissent. While their departure might be welcomed by some on the right of Labour the harsh truth is that appealing to wealthy donors and shy Conservatives is not going to unlock the doors to Number 10.
(Written by Tom Cropper, Edited by Klaudia Fior)