Support for ‘hard leftist’ Corbyn grows within Labour

The total number of eligible voters for the leadership contest, for which voting begins on August 14.

August is traditionally the sleepy season in British politics. Schools are closed for vacations and parliament is in recess till September 7.

This year, however, Labour Party politics have caused an unusual stir. After the stunning defeat of Labour in the May 7 elections, and the resignation of its leader Ed Miliband, the party is now in the process of electing a new leader from a panel of four candidates.

The unexpected surge of support for left wing candidate Jeremy Corbyn, the 63-year old Member of Parliament from Islington North constituency whom the mainstream British media describe as “hard left”, has stunned the party and observers.

The snowballing support for Mr. Corbyn, who started the race with the odds stacked against him but is now well ahead of the others, is seen as a measure of the overwhelming support within the Labour constituency for the socialistic programme that traditional Labour espoused, and which was largely abandoned by New Labour.

A sudden last-minute flood of 166,753 new registrations in the 24 hours leading up to the closing of registrations on August 12 has taken the party headquarters by surprise.

Opinion poll boost

The total number of eligible voters for the leadership contest, for which voting begins on August 14 and closes on September 10, has now gone up to 610,753, with the overwhelming majority of new voters expected to vote for Mr. Corbyn, whose public meetings have been attracting ever growing audiences.

A recent YouGov poll only strengthens the view that the huge influx of registered voters is likely to vote for the radical politician.

The poll, conducted for The Times , gives the support for the first preference vote (with percentage point shifts in brackets) for the four candidates as follows. Mr. Corbyn 53 (+10), Andy Burnham 21 (-5), Yvette Cooper 18 (-2), and Liz Kendall 8 (-3).

There has been growing alarm within sections of the party leadership at the very real prospect of Mr. Corbyn winning the contest and the impact of his avowedly radical policies on the future electoral prospects of the party.

Writing in the Guardian on Thursday, former Prime Minister Tony Blair appealed to party members to sink their difference and unite to defeat Mr. Corbyn.