Chuka Umunna proved the Labour moderates still have a fan base at his first fringe appearance in Brighton. At a packed out Demos event, the former shadow business secretary and one-time leadership contender, said that a difference of opinion over the EU referendum was not the only reason he didn’t take a job in Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet. Despite the Labour leader’s new position of campaigning to remain In come what may — outlined in this op-ed — Umunna suggested he still wouldn’t take a position:
‘We had a good discussion and quite of that actually was really thinking about things in this reshuffle, but there were a number of issues and the EU was one of them. I suppose what I didn’t want every time I had a difference in view from Jeremy for that to become some news story – there’d be some ongoing commentary as to whether you know, this is something I’m going to resign over or not. ‘I had concerns about the position on Nato, as expressed before the contest came to an end, on Trident, whether we continued with a nuclear deterrent, on having a seven per cent increase in National Insurance for middle income families. There were a number of things that I had issues with – but also you know, the bottom line is I think there is more probably unites us and that we agree on in a party than divides us and I didn’t want things that I have a difference in view to become a big problem and a big issue.
Despite returning to the back benchers, Chuka said he wouldn’t be causing Corbyn headaches:
‘I have no interest in being a thorn in the side of the leadership. I saw how difficult it was for Ed to do that job when I was his PPS and there’s the old saying that the opposition role is the most difficult in British politics. That’s absolutely true and I didn’t want to make it more difficult for him still. So we had that discussion and we both agreed it would be better for me to support from the back benches and that’s what I’ll do.’
The MP for Streatham also name checked his colleagues Tom Watson and Stella Creasy as notable examples of how you can ‘make an impact and make a change’ without being in the shadow cabinet. Even though he declined to serve under Corbyn, Umunna had some praise for the new leader. ‘One of the best things about Jeremy’s leadership is that doesn’t pretend to claim he has all the answers’, he said — although Chuka said he had ‘some issues’ regarding ‘how Jeremy won the contest but I respect the mandate he has’. And when asked if he thought Corbyn was the best possible person to lead the party, he dry responded ‘that’s the view of the people in the party’.
His performance was received well by the friendly Demos audience, smooth and polished as ever. His pitch to be the moderniser-in-chief was one of a respectful, thoughtful colleague — not a troublemaker. Some of Chuka’s fellow MPs from that side of the party are appearing at a Progress rally this evening, so we’ll see if the others feel the same way about their role in the New Politics.
Comments