My colleague for the last 6 1/2 years, Jamie Reed, was a Blairite; a modernising Labour politician. He has decided to stand down as an MP. Jamie has stood down for a number of reasons - many of them personal, and entirely understandable with a young family. But there are other reasons too - just as other Labour MPs have decided to do other jobs in Manchester, London, or in select committees, or are considering packing it all in either now or at 2020.
In truth, there are many in the Commons like Jamie on the labour benches. They feel
- undermined by Corbyn,
- they face deselection by new Momentum labour members = the activist wing of the far left
- and have no confidence in Corbyn forming a government.
There are similar colleagues in the North East. If I named them they would be the subject of a torrent of abuse by their "new" Momentum members. It is very sad to see where the Labour party has got itself.
The Guardian take on this story is here: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/dec/21/corbyn-critic-jamie-reed-quits-labour-mp-byelection-copeland
At the last election the labour party held the seat by a couple of thousand and they have never lost it since the 1930s. But I genuinely do not believe that #Corbyn is the man the good citizens of west Cumbria want to put their faith in. His Islington politics, and some of his weird stances of being of anti defence + anti monarchy, pro Cuba / IRA and more do not go down well in the North and I suspect will not go down well in Copeland. Corbyns uncertain views on Brexit will also be a struggle in Copeland
