Labour’s angst over Trident has taken something of a back seat over the past few days as the party tries – relatively unsuccessfully – to revel in the split opening up in the Tories on Europe. But this evening, those tasked with developing Labour’s foreign policy, and particularly its stance on the nuclear deterrent, are holding a two-hour meeting on security and defence. This is a meeting of the International Policy Commission, which includes Hilary Benn, Emily Thornberry, Diane Abbott and Pat Glass from Labour’s frontbench, and members of the National Executive Committee including Ken Livingstone.
Corbyn yesterday afternoon attacked David Cameron for ‘trying to appease—or failing to appease’ half of his party. The Labour leader has a rather bigger task, which is that he cannot claim the support of even half of his parliamentary party, particularly not when it comes to Trident. Given other members of this committee include Lord ‘Croissants’ Watts and Barrow MP John Woodcock, tonight’s meeting is hardly going to be a walk in the park, though it might be a little calmer than a showdown between Des Browne and George Robertson on the same subject at the party’s backbench defence committee tonight as well.
But the Labour leader is probably feeling rather more powerful than he did on this issue before: Thornberry managing to secure Damian McBride as her media advisor has sent those opposed to a change in party policy on Trident into a bit of a tizz, because for the first time, there is a genuine force to be reckoned with facing them in this policy battle.
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