Skip to content
City PM
  • Germany
  • France
  • Europe
  • Markets
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • DE
  • Germany
  • France
  • Europe
  • Markets
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • DE
Tuesday 10 January 2017 6:18 pm

As he rows back on free movement and flirts with wage cap proposals, will Jeremy Corbyn last the year?

By: Tom Slater and Rupert Myers

Add as a preferred source on Google

Rupert Myers, barrister and writer, says Yes. 

Within the Westminster bubble, the Jeremy Corbyn relaunch went about as well as the tragic lift off of the space shuttle Challenger. Corbyn’s muddle on free movement and the Single Market is likely to have infuriated even his die-hard fans. Is he for free movement? Is he for the Single Market? He’s given up his consistency, which was perhaps his greatest political asset. For those of us who aren’t mad-keen Corbynistas, it’s easy to see a guy with absolutely no idea what he is doing.

Read more: Corbyn moots 20:1 pay ratio rule for government contractors

However, if 2017 is to see Corbyn adopt a Trump-style approach to politics, then these headline-grabbing, wacky announcements are exactly the sort of thing he needs to keep doing. It won’t win him power, but it might just dominate the news cycles, and if you throw enough at the electorate, some of it might stick. Labour has no appetite to make it three leadership contests in as many years: Corbyn will be given 2017. His enemies will sit back, hoping it alienates his core support within the party. He’ll last the year, but at what cost?

Tom Slater, deputy editor of Spiked, says No. 

After another day of own-goal media appearances, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is the joke that isn’t funny anymore. His not-quite-rowback on free movement and his maximum wage idea prove that he and his party are no longer fit (if they ever were) to represent working people. His miffed-vicar brand of state socialism is an insult to the intelligence and aspirations of the public. Working people don’t hate the rich, they just want the good life for themselves. And his evasions on migration show that this so-called straight-talker is as spun as any Blairite. It’s not that he’s too radical, he’s not radical enough.

Socialism used to be about freedom and plenty for all – two things Corbyn wouldn’t recognise if he tripped over them on the allotment. Whether he survives the year is up to party members – an increasingly middle-class crew more at home in Pret A Manger than Southend-On-Sea. But one thing is clear: he’s no friend of those who labour. That’s got to catch up with him.

Share this article

  • Facebook
  • X
  • LinkedIn
  • WhatsApp
  • Email

Similarly tagged content:

Sections

  • News

Categories

  • Business
  • Politics

Trending Articles

  • Billionaire Easyjet founder in line for £800m payday from takeover

  • Burnham told to launch £100bn tax reform package

  • Construction sector cuts jobs again as house building slumps

  • Pension pressure to help swell UK debt to three times size of economy

  • Tickets for England World Cup quarter vs Norway on sale for $8m

More from City PM

  • ‘Corbyn was spot on’: The radical MP shaping Burnham’s economic agenda

    Politics
    Miatta Fahnbulleh speaking at a conference podium with a backdrop of international flags and an attentive audience
  • Starmer resigns as Prime Minister

    Politics
    Business conference attendees networking at a corporate event with banners and presentation screens in the background
  • Burnham hints at payout for Waspi women claiming billions

    Politics
    Burnham smiling broadly at a community event, surrounded by enthusiastic supporters, conveying a sense of positivity and u...
  • Burnham rows back on £10bn Waspi women offer

    Politics
    Andy Burnham discusses support for Waspi women, addressing pension injustice in a public speech.
  • Andy Burnham will crumble like a biscuit he can’t even name

    Opinion
    Burnham 1 showcases a bustling cityscape highlighting economic growth and urban development in the region.
  • Why Hugh Grant is the last person Burnham should listen to on press freedom

    Opinion
    Hugh Grant expressing frustration, advocating for press regulation, amidst concerns over free speech and Downing Street po...
  • I’m a digital strategist, here’s why I’m worried about social media

    Opinion
    Tiktok appeals to overturn US ban in a broader battle for tech regulation
  • Electoral reform could destroy the Labour party

    Opinion
    Polling station exterior with voters lining up for local election in a community setting with clear signage and ballot box...

City PM — European politics, business and analysis.

Europe

  • Germany
  • France
  • Europe
  • UK & Ireland

Topics

  • Business
  • Markets
  • AI
  • Technology
  • Opinion
  • Energy

More

  • Politics
  • Economics
  • Fintech
  • Legal
  • Sport
  • Life

Company

  • About City PM
  • Editorial Policy
  • Corrections
  • Contact
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
© 2026 City PM · Published by CityPM Media, Bahnhofstrasse 65, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
About · Editorial Policy · Corrections · Contact · Privacy