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| A haunted Corbyn stares into the abyss of triumph | A haunted Corbyn stares into the abyss of triumph |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The eyes had it. When the four Labour leadership candidates followed one another into the main hall of the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre in Westminster, they already knew that Jeremy Corbyn had won by a large majority. | The eyes had it. When the four Labour leadership candidates followed one another into the main hall of the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre in Westminster, they already knew that Jeremy Corbyn had won by a large majority. |
| Yet it was Corbyn who looked the most uncomfortable, more so even than when he had entered the building to choruses of The Red Flag and “Jez we can”. Andy Burnham had come out tight-lipped, yet doing his best to squeeze out a grin: Yvette Cooper had looked naturally gracious and smiley, while Liz Kendall merely appeared relieved that the whole car crash of her campaign was over. | Yet it was Corbyn who looked the most uncomfortable, more so even than when he had entered the building to choruses of The Red Flag and “Jez we can”. Andy Burnham had come out tight-lipped, yet doing his best to squeeze out a grin: Yvette Cooper had looked naturally gracious and smiley, while Liz Kendall merely appeared relieved that the whole car crash of her campaign was over. |
| Corbyn just looked lost in thought, his eyes dull hollows that gave little away. While Andy, Yvette and Liz joked and made small talk with one another during the lengthy preamble to the announcement, Corbyn remained almost motionless, acknowledging neither Kendall to his right, nor Cooper to his right. It was a telling moment. | Corbyn just looked lost in thought, his eyes dull hollows that gave little away. While Andy, Yvette and Liz joked and made small talk with one another during the lengthy preamble to the announcement, Corbyn remained almost motionless, acknowledging neither Kendall to his right, nor Cooper to his right. It was a telling moment. |
| There’s never been any doubt about Corbyn’s commitment to the cause of breaking the Labour party away from its current Tory-lite, austerity-lite position, but did he ever really want to be the person to lead that cause? He’d only made it on to the ballot sheet because a few MPs who had no intention of voting for him thought there needed to be a token leftwinger and Corbyn had often given the impression that he’d only agreed to be nominated because it was muggins’s turn. | There’s never been any doubt about Corbyn’s commitment to the cause of breaking the Labour party away from its current Tory-lite, austerity-lite position, but did he ever really want to be the person to lead that cause? He’d only made it on to the ballot sheet because a few MPs who had no intention of voting for him thought there needed to be a token leftwinger and Corbyn had often given the impression that he’d only agreed to be nominated because it was muggins’s turn. |
| Somehow he had contrived to both win and lose at the same time: his whole life was about to be turned upside down. No lie-ins, no quiet cuppas, no principled rebellions against his own party. From now on he would be expected to have a thought-out opinion on absolutely everything and he would be responsible for keeping the whole show on the road. | Somehow he had contrived to both win and lose at the same time: his whole life was about to be turned upside down. No lie-ins, no quiet cuppas, no principled rebellions against his own party. From now on he would be expected to have a thought-out opinion on absolutely everything and he would be responsible for keeping the whole show on the road. |
| No easy matter when half the current shadow cabinet was looking to distance themselves from him at the earliest opportunities. Jamie Reed, Rachel Reeves and Yvette Cooper had already made it clear they wanted nothing much to do with him, while in the conference hall Chuka Umunna’s applause was becoming ever more desultory and Tristram Hunt looked as if he had seen a ghost. The ghost of New Labour past. | No easy matter when half the current shadow cabinet was looking to distance themselves from him at the earliest opportunities. Jamie Reed, Rachel Reeves and Yvette Cooper had already made it clear they wanted nothing much to do with him, while in the conference hall Chuka Umunna’s applause was becoming ever more desultory and Tristram Hunt looked as if he had seen a ghost. The ghost of New Labour past. |
| When the day’s worst kept secret was finally made public, the four leadership contenders managed a contrived group hug that only served to make an awkward moment more awkward. Then Corbyn made his way to the stage to give his victory speech, his eyes even more sunken than they had been moments earlier and his face betraying only the slightest trace of pleasure in his victory. He looked more overwhelmed than triumphant, sheepishly raising a hand to salute his supporters. | When the day’s worst kept secret was finally made public, the four leadership contenders managed a contrived group hug that only served to make an awkward moment more awkward. Then Corbyn made his way to the stage to give his victory speech, his eyes even more sunken than they had been moments earlier and his face betraying only the slightest trace of pleasure in his victory. He looked more overwhelmed than triumphant, sheepishly raising a hand to salute his supporters. |
| “It had been a fascinating experience,” he said of the leadership contest before suggesting that he, Andy, Yvette and Liz might go on to form an Abba tribute band. I wouldn’t count on it. Andy’s frown indicated that artistic differences may have set in before the band had played a note. | “It had been a fascinating experience,” he said of the leadership contest before suggesting that he, Andy, Yvette and Liz might go on to form an Abba tribute band. I wouldn’t count on it. Andy’s frown indicated that artistic differences may have set in before the band had played a note. |
| Eventually Corbyn hit his stride, though it felt slightly as if he was performing from memory. He said all the right things about the need to develop a new economic policy and for the party to unite, but it all sounded a little bit detached. Almost as if Corbyn was finding the whole situation as surreal as everyone else and he could only cope by switching to autopilot. | |
| Corbyn ended by saying, “Labour is stronger than we’ve ever been for a very long time”, a declaration that didn’t seem to be universally shared by everyone in the room. Whether that was just wish fulfilment or a hard reality, Corbyn will find out over the next few months. In the meantime he is almost certainly telling himself to be careful about what you wish for. It might just come true. | Corbyn ended by saying, “Labour is stronger than we’ve ever been for a very long time”, a declaration that didn’t seem to be universally shared by everyone in the room. Whether that was just wish fulfilment or a hard reality, Corbyn will find out over the next few months. In the meantime he is almost certainly telling himself to be careful about what you wish for. It might just come true. |