Thread by @michaeljswalker

The centre left have Labour back.

On both sides of Atlantic, it's been shown the populist left can't yet win majorities. But it does have the young, and will have the future.

For the meantime, the centre and left need each other to win. Let's hope @Keir_Starmer remembers that.

There will be many around him desperate to expunge any memory of Corbynism from the party, including by purging members. That's no route to victory, it's the reflex of a political tradition that hates the Labour left more than the Conservatives.

Starmer must show strength to stand up to them.

We have seen the failure of the Ed Miliband years. He was (like Keir, I hope) someone who saw the potential of uniting left and centre to rebuild social democracy, but lacked confidence and mettle to make it happen.

Starmer has an advantage over Miliband. He has the benefit of hindsight, seeing the failures of 2015. He also has the vibrant social movement inside the Labour Party capable of standing up to those that want Labour to apologise for its principles, to be Tory-lite.

The left, myself included, harbour bitterness that when our opportunity came to lead the party, any chance of the coalition-building needed to win was spurned by a PLP committed to undermining it from the start.

But to play payback now, to return the favour, would be a kamikaze mission. Who wants to be the Wes Streeting or Neil Coyle of the left? It's a degree of wrecking that will only be deployed by those with no stake in social democracy. We won't do to Keir what they did to Corbyn.

So - I wish @Keir_Starmer success. I hope he comes out of his shell, opens up, and is willing to aggressively take on the Tories, scrutinising them properly, even when nodding along might seem more in keeping with the media-sanctioned public mood.

His leadership campaign was timid, but it could afford to be. As leader of the opposition, he won't have the same luxury!