On Wednesday, 52 Labour MPs chose to defy Jeremy Corbyn’s three-line whip and vote against Brexit in the Article 50 vote. With rebels Clive Lewis, Rachael Maskell and Jo Stevens all resigning from the frontbench as a result, Corbyn has today had to begin a reshuffle of his shadow cabinet.
The Labour leader says he is ‘pleased to announce’ that Rebecca Long-Bailey will replace Lewis as shadow business secretary, with Peter Dowd moving to fill Long-Bailey’s previous position as shadow chief secretary to the Treasury. Christina Rees replaces Stevens as shadow Welsh secretary, while Sue Hayman will succeed Maskell as shadow environment secretary. As for the 14 frontbench MPs who rebelled but are yet to resign, a decision on whether they will be disciplined is expected tomorrow. If you haven’t heard of these people, don’t worry — a lot of people in Westminster haven’t either.
However, Long-Bailey’s appointment to Clive Lewis’s brief will fuel rumours that she is being lined up as a potential successor to Corbyn. With Lewis estranged from the Leader’s Office, Corbyn’s team are keen to have a Corbynite leader-in-waiting should a leadership challenge emerge. Earlier this month, John McDonnell appeared to lay the groundwork when he hailed Long-Bailey as one of the ‘next generation of our socialist leadership team’. Those who saw her flustered appearance on Daily Politics last year may be inclined to disagree.
But for all of Corbyn’s efforts, it’s Lewis’s potential bid that is the talk of the PLP. While Corbyn’s allies regard him with suspicion, the centrist Labour MPs don’t think much better of him. A number of moderates are rattled by Lewis’s chances. They see him as a credible left wing candidate who — by rebelling — has done the perfect thing to please party members over Brexit. It follows that Lewis could well struggle to win enough nominations to mount a leadership bid in the first place.
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