Never mind the election – Corbynism isn’t going away

General elections are meant to produce a government and an opposition — ideally, a decent version of both. It is obvious what government this election will deliver: a Tory one with an increased majority. That, after all, is one of the reasons why Theresa May has decided to go to the country three years early. But it is not clear what opposition there will be.

What passes for optimism in moderate Labour circles these days is the belief that a shellacking in this election will lead to Jeremy Corbyn’s departure, as the party’s membership sobers up and elects a new and sensible leader. But it is far from certain that this will happen. The eagerness of the Corbynites to get their people parachuted into safe seats suggests that they are still more interested in capturing the Labour Party than winning power. They aren’t planning on going away anytime soon.

James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman look at the opposition beyond the election:

If the hard left can get a few more MPs into parliament, they’ll have the numbers to get one of their own on to the leadership ballot should Corbyn stand down. With the membership swollen by the two Corbynista surges, it is entirely possible that their candidate could win. This would mean a continuation of the current situation where the ideological gap between leader and parliamentary party is simply too large to permit effective opposition.

Let’s say that the moderates’ fantasy comes true, that Corbyn resigns and the far left loses a subsequent leadership battle. Labour then would have a chance to become a serious party of opposition again — but it would only be the start of a journey.

First, Labour is not overburdened with talented candidates for its top job.