Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Corbyn’s opponents reduced to hashtag mourning as reshuffle continues

By the end of the day, it will be quicker to count the number of Labour MPs – including members of the Shadow Cabinet – who have not expressed their sadness that Michael Dugher has been sacked. Even though the outpouring of anguish on social media is interesting and suggests that Jeremy Corbyn is not powerful enough to be able to demand loyalty even from those who will probably remain on the frontbench, it also shows how powerless those frontbenchers and their backbench colleagues who oppose Corbyn really are.

Tom Watson and Andy Burnham, too, look powerless as they were unable to save Dugher through either their threatened power as political operators (Watson) or their representations to Corbyn himself (Burnham). Instead, most Labour MPs are reduced to hashtag solidarity, merely tweeting about the sacking rather than doing anything that could have stopped it.

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