Red WAR: Labour insider exposes ‘infighting’ as Long-Bailey struggles with campaign
LABOUR leadership hopeful Rebecca Long-Bailey has had a “slow start” to her campaign as insider Sienna Rogers revealed there has been a lot of “infighting” and “factionalism” in the camp.
Labour leadership: Long-Bailey’s campaign is 'slow' says expert
Labourlist’s Sienna Rogers exposed Jeremy Corbyn’s potential replacement as she explained why Ms Long-Bailey has had a slow start to her campaign. After hearing about the infighting, host Andrew Neil mocked the party calling it “unprecedented”. He asked: “What do you make of Rebecca Long-Bailey’s campaign so far? Has it been intentional to have a slow start or has it just been a series of mistakes?”
Speaking on BBC 2’s Politics Live, Ms Rogers said: “That hasn’t been intentional.
“From my understanding there has been quite a lot of infighting.
“A lot of factionalism within that group.”
Mr Neil interjected: “What, in the left of the Labour Party? That’s unprecedented. I’ve never heard of that before.”
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Ms Rogers continued: “There have been these ideological battles within her camp and that really has been what’s led to this slow start.
“But I think we’re going to see things pick up because today around this time we’re going to see Momentum officially endorsing her after balloting their members; her and Angela Rayner.
“A lot of Momentum members did raise a lot of concerns about that ballot but it’s likely they will back her after that and that will put so much organisational power and resources into her campaign.
“I think we will see a lot more of her.”
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Momentum sent members a Labour Party leadership ballot that featured just John McDonnell favoured candidate Rebecca Long-Bailey as the only option for them to vote for.
The equally left-wing campaign group that was set up to get Jeremy Corbyn elected as leader has faced backlash for balloting members with no alternative other than Ms Long-Bailey, Eccles and Salford MP.
Momentum bosses will only back Ms Long-Bailey and her flatmate Angela Rayner for the role of deputy, taking over from Tom Watson, in the race to replace Mr Corbyn.
The move was likened to a “South American dictatorship” by Labour’s own activists.
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Paul Mason told the Mirror Online: “As a Momentum member and somebody who has been protecting it against witch hunts, I think it is a very stupid thing to do.
“It’s not for Momentum to decide who the Left’s chosen candidate is - it’s for the members.
“If someone other than Long-Bailey wins it is like saying we are going to become an opposition movement to the leadership.”
A Momentum source said that Ms Long-Bailey is the only candidate in the leadership race that shares the political group’s values.