While Jeremy Corbyn’s stunning victory has grabbed the headlines, Tom Watson’s elevation to the deputy leadership is just as important for Labour’s future. Unlike Corbyn, Watson did not win by a landslide in the first round. After Ben Bradshaw and Angela Eagle were knocked out in the first two rounds, the MP for West Bromwich East was elected with 51 per cent of the vote. Stella Creasy came second with 26 per cent and Caroline Flint third with 23 per cent.
Watson was the favourite to win throughout the deputy leadership race and his victory looked to be an even greater certainty than Corbyn’s. In his acceptance speech, Watson signalled at the two key tasks he will be focusing on. Unlike previous deputy leaders, he clearly has no intention of meekly running the party’s operations. The first is being a Tory attack dog. Corbyn is perceived to be a gentle figure and any Tory attacks he makes won’t have as much weight as Watson’s. The new deputy leader had this message for the government:
‘To all those Tories sniggering up their sleeves that we won’t win in 2020 – watch this space. And watch your backs.’
The second task for him is holding Labour together. ‘I promised to back our new leader 100 per cent and I intend to do exactly that,’ he said and told members ‘I expect you to do the same’. As Dan Hodges wrote in the magazine this week, Watson is the best man to hold the party together — a bizarre turn of events for the man who was once Gordon Brown’s hitman. But given the sheer scale of Corbyn’s victory, the Labour left are going to be stronger and louder than ever.
Someone has to remember the Labour right still exists — or ‘the 4.5 per%’ as Liz Kendall’s supporters are now calling themselves — and it was responsible for three election victories. The euphoria of Corbymania will soon wear off and the briefing, infighting and arguments will begin. Watson was once featured by Labour HQ staffers, thanks to his bruiser reputation and close ties with the trade unions. Notably in his speech, he thanked unions from the bakers to the miners, despite having never served in either profession. But Labour has far bigger problems to deal with than union influence. There is now a good chance Labour will suffer a big split before the 2020 election and it’s Watson job to try and stop that from happening.
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