The Labour party conference in Liverpool last week has validated how last year's in-fighting resulted into a bruised and divided party that perhaps will take a long time to come together. It has been a year wasted and should not be repeated. Though Mayor Sadiq Khan seems to be a glimpse of hope for Labour's future, the Conference failed to prove as an opportunity to put things right.
The rash decision of some Labour MPs to resign from the Shadow cabinet following the shock of Brexit and to force a leadership election in the hope of undermining Corbyn’s mandate, but had the opposite effect.
Sadiq Khan, Labour’s current star, had a very good, very stark and clear speech. He said, in no uncertain terms, that only in power you change things. He had the chance to show that he could rise above the in-fighting and solidify his position and standing with both new and old members. Khan has come out as a possible future Labour party leader material, but critics have pointed out that his speech portrayed unwillingness to compromise for the greater good, preferring an act of defiance and borderline patronising Jeremy Corbyn.
Jeremy Corbyn called on Labour to unite on a 2017 election footing and end the "trench warfare" as he gave his keynote conference speech as leader. In his biggest new policy, Mr Corbyn announced a wave of extra council borrowing against housing stock to fund up to 12,000 more council homes a year. He also announced a special 'pupil premium' for the arts and committed to spending 3% of Britain's GDP on research.
However, Labour now faces claims of hypocrisy after it emerged controversial peer Shami Chakrabarti’s son goes to a top private school. The 13-year-old attends £18,000-a-year Dulwich College in south-east London, an academically selective boys’ school where former Ukip leader Nigel Farage was a pupil. The revelation came just days after Labour vowed to oppose Theresa May’s plans to open more grammar schools.However the party has reportedly tried to head off the storm by suggesting Baroness Chakrabarti’s lawyer ex-husband was to blame for the decision to send him there.
Corbyn's actions now have to match their words to heal the rifts. If Labour unites, it will be unstoppable and it will win the general election whenever it may come.
