One of the odd quirks about politics in 2015 is that neither the Prime Minister nor the Leader of the Opposition expected to win. The Conservatives’ manifesto was written with the expectation that the Liberal Democrats would water it down – when Jeremy Corbyn entered the Labour leadership, the best-case scenario for many of his backers was a strong enough showing to guarantee the left a seat at the top table under whichever candidate of the right emerged as leader.
That’s part of why many of Corbyn’s closest allies – let alone his many opponents on either side of the House of the Commons – expect him to stand down before the general election. One supporter of Corbyn told me there was “no chance” of the Islington North MP making it until 2020.
Content from our partners
