
London is no longer Starmer's personal fiefdom
Even the recent memory of Mayoral elections paints a picture of intellectual diversity. Boris Johnson defeated Ken Livingstone twice; this cemented his reputation as a Heineken Tory who could reach parts of the country other members of his party couldn't.Ken Livingstone himself trounced New Labour in the 2000 Mayoral election, humiliating them into third place (although he was later readmitted by 2004).
One could also point out that, in the 1980s, the SDP-Liberal Alliance took safe seats from Labour (Bermondsey and Woolwich) and helped the Tories to win Labour seats in Lewisham, Lambeth, Southwark and Croydon.
Still, London's reputation as a Labour fiefdom is sealed in the minds of many: every constituency in inner-city London apart from Jeremy Corbyn's Islington North is currently held by a Labour MP. For how much longer can this dominance be sustained?
A few weeks ago, Zarah Sultana left the Labour Party and announced she was co-founding a new party with Corbyn. The warning signs of a split had been there for months. A group called 'Collective' aimed at creating such a party, and various Left, Green and Muslim groups – such as TUSC, Liverpool Community Independents, Just Stop Oil, The Muslim Vote – have been involved in this process.
There have also been whispers outside the Labour Party tent. Zack Polanski is the favourite to win this summer's Green party leadership contest. Standing on a Corbynite ticket, Polanski has won the support of Corbynistas such as Owen Jones, Grace Blakeley and Michael Chessum.
Polanski himself has spoken warmly of Corbyn and Sultana and has voiced support for Clive Lewis, the Left-wing Labour MP for Norwich South to join the Green Party.
The Right should resist the temptation to roll its eyes, remembering all too well that Corbyn oversaw the worst Labour defeat in its history less than a decade ago. While a new Left party has no chance of forming a national government, it could lead to a significant realignment in British politics. It would be the first time since a Leader of the Labour Party set up a new political party since Ramsay MacDonald was expelled and formed National Labour back in 1931.
2024 was the best ever result for forces to the Left of Labour in British political history, surpassing the Communists in the 1930s. According to the think tank More in Common, a new party led by Corbyn – without a name, funding or even official formation – already garners 10 per cent of the vote.
Nowhere would this popularity be more concentrated than in London. One MRP poll shows that a new Corbyn party would win 10 seats, taking three directly from Labour (Ilford North, Ilford South and Bethnal Green and Stepney). A pact with the Greens would place many more red seats under threat.
A Corbyn-Green alliance in Hackney South and Shoreditch would currently obtain 45.7 per cent of the vote against Labour's 37.2 per cent. In Lewisham North, meanwhile, Labour would get 35.8 per cent and the Red-Green coalition would get 41.8 per cent. Labour would also lose out in Peckham, Tottenham, Poplar and Limehouse. Holborn and St Pancras – the constituency represented by the Prime Minister – would be too close for comfort: according to current projections, Starmer would return 35.7 per cent of the vote, but Corbyn and the Greens combined would take 33.9 per cent.
One of the ironies is that such a result would be put down to growing 'diversity' of London, with some ethnic minority (British Muslims in particular) voters backing candidates that may hem to their sectarian concerns. But while some of the affluent white ex-Corbynistas in Hackney and Peckham will show up again at the polls for 'Magic Grandpa' Jez, black voters are still more likely to stay loyal to Keir Starmer's Labour Party.
It's not just Labour's Left flank that looks set to jump ship. The rising stature of the Reform party could see the Labour Party vote essentially extinguished in working class East London. This would be psychologically catastrophic for Labour. The East End was home to Matchworkers' Strike, the 1889 Dockers' Strike and the Battle of Cable Street in 1936. George Lansbury lived in Bow Road and Clement Attlee was mayor of Stepney and MP for Limehouse. For the Labour Party to cease to have any representation in an area of huge symbolism for the party and the movement would be the urban equivalent of the collapse of Scotland and the northern 'red wall'.
One should of course be careful of putting too much store in polling. But as next year's local elections in London draw near, Starmer should beware: there are many willing to take advantage of his complacency. If he fails to respond to the danger, the legend of a forever red London will be impossible to sustain. The party of Keir Hardie – who was a West Ham South MP – may soon find itself boxed out of our nation's capital.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
16 minutes ago
- The Independent
Two million pensioners in the UK are currently in poverty
Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall has warned of a potential 'tsunami of pensioner poverty' without major reform and indicated a possible increase in the state retirement age. The Commons Work and Pensions Committee has urged the government to establish a national strategy to combat pensioner poverty, including setting a minimum income for a dignified retirement. Age UK reports that two million pensioners are currently in poverty, a figure expected to rise, with the committee's report noting a significant increase in pensioner poverty since 2010. MPs are calling for improved take-up of pension credits, as an estimated 700,000 eligible households are missing out on up to £4,000 annually and other vital benefits. The report highlights long-term concerns such as people renting into later life and the strain poverty places on health and social care systems, while the government maintains support for pensioners is a priority.


BBC News
17 minutes ago
- BBC News
Northampton Town Council seeks legal advice over Guildhall move
Town councillors facing eviction from their Victorian civic base are seeking legal advice, claiming it is their "natural home".Northampton Town Council was set up in 2021 and has leased part of the town's Guildhall, which is owned by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC), ever has been told it must leave later this year by WNC under its "office optimisation" plan. This includes selling off the Guildhall's 1992 extension. Reform UK WNC leader Mark Arnull said the town council had been offered "alternative and suitable long-term space at county hall". The town council leases the lower west wing of the building, but was told in January last year it had to give up the space to allow the coroner's service to relocate, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. "We see the Guildhall as a valuable part of civic life for all residents of Northampton, and as the formal town hall, which is also home to the Mayor's Parlour, it is without any doubt, the natural home of the town council and the town's mayor," said Les Marriott, chair of the town council's policy and finance committee and Labour added when the town council was set up, a cross-party working group - including the former borough council and the shadow West Northamptonshire Council - agreed to grant it "a long lease of the historic part of the Guildhall". "We have sought legal advice on this matter and now hope to continue pragmatic and constructive negotiations with WNC to secure the long-term lease that was originally promised," he unanimously backed plans to continue negotiating with WNC over the proposed mayor Rufia Ashraf, who is also a WNC Labour councillor, said on social media that "some members are prepared to strap ourselves to the building to keep their iconic home".WNC has not confirmed a date for the council's relocation. Arnull said: "The historic part of the Guildhall will continue to be home of the mayor of Northampton, as it has been so for many centuries." Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.


BBC News
17 minutes ago
- BBC News
Cheshire devolution: Lib Dems criticise mayoral election delay
Opposition councillors in Cheshire have criticised the lack of transparency over a decision to delay the county's first mayoral election by a government agreed to a request from the Labour leaders of the three Cheshire councils of Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, and Warrington Council, to push back the contest from 2026 to Democrat councillor Graham Gowland on Warrington Council said it was "unacceptable" the decision had been made "behind closed doors", and feared it could lead to the loss of a year's worth of devolution funding.A government spokesperson said the decision would not affect the creation of a new combined authority. The ministry of housing, communities and local government spokesperson said leaders of the councils had requested the delay to "simplify the elections process for voters and save taxpayers' money".The Conservative opposition on both Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester councils had first called for the delay and welcomed the said there had been "no consultation with elected councillors, no engagement with opposition groups, and no public transparency" on the county will choose its first mayor to head a new combined authority consisting of the three councils, which is set to come into being at the beginning of said the delay to 2027 aligned with local elections in two areas of Cheshire, but Warrington's next local elections were not until said: "More concerning is the possibility that we now lose a full year of access to devolution funding—money that could be invested in vital transport, infrastructure and skills projects starting from June 2026. "Residents should not pay the price for a politically convenient delay." Read more stories from Cheshire on the BBC and follow BBC North West on X. For more local politics coverage, BBC Politics North West is on BBC One on Sunday at 10:00am and on BBC iPlayer.