By Mark Langabeer (Hastings and Rye Labour member)
The Tory Leadership contest seems pretty irrelevant for most workers. However , the election does give an indication of the direction that the leadership intends to take.
It was assumed that the so-called moderate Tory would be included on the ballot for members. Cleverly was thought to be the favourite, but failed to gain any new support from Tory MP’s. It appears that they, in equal measure, gave support to the more right-wing candidates.
It’s now a race between Jenrick and Badenoch, both of whom regard Thatcher highly and wish to emulate her policies. One of them even mentioned Keith Joseph as someone that ought to be admired. They both believe in a smaller state and low taxation. This is code for an attack on welfare and public services. Jenrick wants Britain to withdrew from the European Court of human rights and place an arbitrary limit on immigration. Badenoch is keen on so-called culture wars and rolling back on equality laws.
Move to the right
They will move to the right with the aim of winning over Reform voters, but will they succeed? As a general rule, if both Parties have a similar platform, then the larger one would normally prevail.
Some believe that they would be unelectable, if they move further to the right. I think that this idea doesn’t take into account the disillusionment that Labour’s milk and water policies will have on the more politically backward elements within society. A resurgent Tory Party could not be ruled out.
To prevent a Tory comeback, Labour need to adopt a bold socialist programme in order to prevent future reaction, whether it takes the form of Reform or the Conservatives.
[Featured photo – Reuters]
