The pro-EU Renew party emerged from out of nowhere at the height of “Corbynmania,” pushing for a second Brexit referendum that led to the Labour leader’s demise. The intelligence backgrounds of Renew’s founders were kept under wraps – until now.
by Kit Klarenberg
Part 6 - Mission accomplished, Renew folds into wider Remainer push
Undeterred by their woeful 2018 election showing and Coghlan’s departure from the party, Renew’s remaining adherents continued their nationwide political crusade for several months. Come February 2019 though, when disaffected Conservative and Labour MPs founded the pro-EU Change UK party in February 2019, Renew stood down its candidates in the impending European election. In response, Change UK hailed Renew’s “worthwhile and meaningful endeavours” as an inspiration for its own pro-Brussels agenda.
Despite Renew’s effort to level the pro-Remain playing field, in the event Change UK secured just 3.3% of the vote and splintered not long after, with six of its members defecting yet again.
The outcome was inevitable. The month that Change UK launched, academic Richard Johnson published detailed analysis which determined that winning over “Leave-voting Conservative marginals” would be fundamental to a Labour victory in the 2019 general election.
Despite Renew’s effort to level the pro-Remain playing field, in the event Change UK secured just 3.3% of the vote and splintered not long after, with six of its members defecting yet again.
The outcome was inevitable. The month that Change UK launched, academic Richard Johnson published detailed analysis which determined that winning over “Leave-voting Conservative marginals” would be fundamental to a Labour victory in the 2019 general election.
Of the 64 seats the party needed to win in order to secure a parliamentary majority, 45 were in England and Wales, all held by Conservatives, of which 78% voted in favor of Brexit.
“One of the most striking facts about British politics since the referendum is the reasonably consistent support for Leave and Remain,” Johnson cautioned. “EU referendum vote choice stands out for its stability.”
Considering the lack of popular support for its central platform, the clear motivation behind Renew’s launch was to lend bogus grassroots legitimacy to the call for a second referendum by way of a new political party. The party was especially necessary after the pro-Remain Liberal Democrats tainted themselves with a five-year stint in coalition with the Conservatives.
“One of the most striking facts about British politics since the referendum is the reasonably consistent support for Leave and Remain,” Johnson cautioned. “EU referendum vote choice stands out for its stability.”
Considering the lack of popular support for its central platform, the clear motivation behind Renew’s launch was to lend bogus grassroots legitimacy to the call for a second referendum by way of a new political party. The party was especially necessary after the pro-Remain Liberal Democrats tainted themselves with a five-year stint in coalition with the Conservatives.
Rewew’s role in paving the way for Change UK was also an undeniable achievement. As Coghlan explained in an April 2019 New Statesman op-ed, Renew was not simply created to win power, but in the hope that “moderate MPs would split into a new centre party and oppose Brexit,” and thus “catalyse Change UK.”
Strangely, Corbyn and his advisors failed to consider whether those leading the push for a second referendum were truly motivated by their adoration for Brussels bureaucrats, but instead a determination to scupper Labour’s electoral prospects.
Corbyn’s commitment to a second Brexit referendum should be regarded as one of the gravest political missteps in recent British political history. Rather than provide a popular alternative to the Conservative government’s floundering Brexit negotiation process, Labour aligned itself with a nascent, fringe political movement borne of the very elite British voters sought to reject.
Strangely, Corbyn and his advisors failed to consider whether those leading the push for a second referendum were truly motivated by their adoration for Brussels bureaucrats, but instead a determination to scupper Labour’s electoral prospects.
Corbyn’s commitment to a second Brexit referendum should be regarded as one of the gravest political missteps in recent British political history. Rather than provide a popular alternative to the Conservative government’s floundering Brexit negotiation process, Labour aligned itself with a nascent, fringe political movement borne of the very elite British voters sought to reject.
And they may have engaged in this act of willful political suicide with a quiet but concerted nudge from the intelligence services which saw Corbyn’s ascent as an existential threat.
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