1/ Let's get some #GE2019 facts straight:
* 86.6% of the seats Labour lost voted Leave.
* 6 of the 8 Remain seats we lost were to the strongly pro-Remain SNP.
* Swing against Labour in Leave seats was almost double that of Remain seats.
Brexit was the main reason we lost.
* 86.6% of the seats Labour lost voted Leave.
* 6 of the 8 Remain seats we lost were to the strongly pro-Remain SNP.
* Swing against Labour in Leave seats was almost double that of Remain seats.
Brexit was the main reason we lost.
2/ That doesn't mean to say there weren't issues with Jeremy's leadership. There were, and there's no hiding from that. From failing to crush the antisemitism issue the moment it arose to his poor engagement with the media and intransigent demeanour.
3/ But, the data is clear, if we had let Jeremy follow his instincts of going into #GE2019 with a 'Leave on better terms' deal and no Remain option on a future ballot, he might very well be the Prime Minister today. That's on us, not him.
5/ The people now arguing that 'Jeremy was the main problem' or the 'manifesto was the main problem' are the people who've always argued that Jeremy and his politics are the main problem. The issue with this is that denying reality won't win us a future General Election either.
6/ Ironically, many of these people were at the very forefront of demands that a future 'referendum on the deal' must include a Remain option, which was the main reason we lost the election. Leadership means being the first to recognise your own role in defeats. Worth pondering.
7/ We stood in the middle of the road and we got run down.
