Eleven days after his election as Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn’s office is festooned with cards congratulating him on his landslide victory. Corbyn proudly shows me one from the children of Duncombe Primary School in Islington, north London. “Please remember, just as you have always been there for us, we are there for you,” it reads. “They’ve put a tie on me, the devils,” Corbyn quips of the drawing of him on the front.
Corbyn’s first week as leader was more shambolic than either his supporters or his opponents had anticipated. His shadow cabinet reshuffle led to accusations of a “woman problem”, when only men were chosen to represent the great offices of state (though the final team was, for the first time, majority female). He was then denounced by Labour frontbenchers for not singing the national anthem at the Battle of Britain memorial service at St Paul’s Cathedral and forced to pledge to campaign for EU membership during the referendum after protests by the shadow foreign secretary, Hilary Benn, and others.
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