Parts of the Labour left seem intent on insurrection against the leadership over Jeremy Corbyn’s suspension. Parts of the Labour right seem intent on using that insurrection to purge the left. Keir Starmer is marooned on an island of his own making, stuck between two factions at war with one another, with little chance of escape. Let’s start by saying the obvious: this is a bad position to be in.
You don’t need to be a chess grandmaster to work out the potential endgames. Either Corbyn apologises for the breaches of equality law identified by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), and is given back the Labour whip. Or he wins a court case and is given back the whip. Or he remains excluded, provoking legitimate anger among a membership whose left-wing majority are trying to work with the leadership, but are being provoked into one confrontation after another.
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