A row in Labour over union influence that doesn’t benefit the Tories in some way is as rare as hen’s teeth. But the latest revelations about Unite’s attempt at ‘transforming Labour’ (as reported by Rachel Sylvester in her explosive Times column) are even more of a gift to the Conservative party than usual because they feed perfectly into the line of attack the party has chosen. As Coffee House reported recently, Lynton Crosby told Tory MPs that he wanted to focus on Miliband’s weaknesses as leader, identifying clear weak spots rather than the ‘he makes the coffee’ line. That the unions are enjoying such success in stitching up the selection process contributes to that impression of weakness, particularly if Miliband finds himself unable to do anything decisive.
Dan Hodges’ Telegraph column suggests the weakness isn’t just in dealing with the unions but party colleagues too. He pinpoints Tom Watson as the source of the trouble, and says the Labour leader should sack him.
Either way, the Tories can have a great deal of fun asking Miliband whether he’s going to stand up to the people trying to run the Labour party instead of him. The question of ‘who governs Labour?’ will be one you will hear a great deal in the Chamber and newspaper articles from now on.
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