A Good Night For The Labour Left

George Eaton writes:

One of the notable trends from this election is that Labour's left-wing MPs performed disproportionately well. Not one of the 13 members of the Socialist Campaign Group lost their seat and several, against expectations, increased their share of the vote.

In London, Jeremy Corbyn, MP for Islington North, increased his majority by 3.3 per cent to 12,401 and Diane Abbott, MP for Hackney North, increased her share of the vote from 49 per cent to 55 per cent.

Elsewhere, John McDonnell, the chair of the Socialist Campaign Group and a former leadership contender, saw his majority fall by only 1.6 per cent to 10,824. And Kelvin Hopkins, MP for Luton North, increased his majority by 0.7 per cent to 7,520.

In part, this reflects Labour's generally impressive performance in the capital. The Tories achieved a swing of just 2.5 per cent and won 28 seats, ten fewer than Labour.

But I also think it reflects the fact that voters tend to reward more independent-minded candidates and those who vote against their party when necessary. It's also further evidence that the public are well to the left of Labour on Afghanistan, privatisation and inequality.

The party's new MPs should take note.