Keir Starmer cannot believe his luck as his opponents purge themselves

The Labour leader suffered a big rebellion of his own MPs last night, but he has emerged stronger, writes John Rentoul

Starmer told his MPs to abstain on ‘spy crimes’ bill (AFP/ Getty)

Seven Labour frontbenchers resigned yesterday because they refused to abstain as instructed by their leader in the vote on the “spy crimes” bill. Two of them were shadow ministers, Dan Carden and Margaret Greenwood, and the rest were parliamentary private secretaries, the first rung on the ladder of office.

So it wasn’t a high-level rebellion. Carden and Greenwood had been members of Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet: Starmer demoted them and they accepted shadow ministerial posts below shadow-cabinet level. But the numbers made it look like a challenge to Keir Starmer’s authority.

In fact, it was the opposite. The Labour leader must be scarcely able to believe his luck. The people who were close to Corbyn, and who might have posed a threat to Starmer’s authority, are purging themselves. Before Corbyn became leader it used to be one of the complaints of those around him that the party leadership was conducting a “witch-hunt” against them. Now they are ducking and burning themselves.