Corbyn stood for the leadership of the Labour Party and was widely considered a complete outsider, having been a very left-wing lawmaker famous for being critical of the center-ground policies of previous leaders. However, following membership rule changes and a last-minute surge in party supporters, Corbyn became the surprise front-runner and won the leadership challenge.
Corbyn is facing an uphill task in holding his party together after it split over the decision to sanction the airstrikes, with his own shadow Defense Secretary Hilary Benn disagreeing with him over the airstrikes. Corbyn is a fierce anti-war campaigner and argued — during a parliamentary debate in December — against the air strikes. He was forced to back down on ordering his lawmakers — using a three-line whip — to vote against the airstrikes when it became apparent that half of his shadow cabinet was against airstrikes.
Benn, gave a barnstorming speech that attracted a cross party standing ovation and clapping — a very unusual breach of parliamentary convention. "Daesh is plotting more attacks, so the question for each of us and for our national security is this: given that we know what it is doing, can we really stand aside and refuse to act fully in self-defense against those who are planning these attacks?
"Can we really leave to others the responsibility for defending our national security? If we do not act, what message will that send about our solidarity with those countries that have suffered so much, including Iraq and our ally, France?" Benn said.
pic.twitter.com/lwyXpHXCsk #LabourReshuffle the Corbynistas v Blairites With cats.
— Sophia Cannon (@UndercoverMutha) January 4, 2016
Reshuffle? No Reshuffle?
It was widely predicted that Corbyn would carry out a "revenge reshuffle" in the New Year with Benn likely to be sacked for his disloyalty. However, it emerged Tuesday that Corbyn had pulled back from taking such drastic action.
The Labour reshuffle has already outlasted the Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896, what other events has it eclipsed? https://t.co/zEP1XqDszl
— Ned Donovan (@Ned_Donovan) January 5, 2016
The party leader was also rumored — over the Christmas period — to be thinking of moving one of the few female members of his shadow cabinet — Defense Secretary Maria Eagle because of their differences over the UK strategic nuclear deterrent, Trident. Eagle stands by the current Labour policy of replacing Trident, but Corbyn is against it. Corbyn has long been anti-nuclear, having been a leading light in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the national chair of the Stop the War Coalition from June 2011 until September 2015.
Blimey O'Reilly!! I've sacked people faster than this! #LabourReshuffle
— Alasdair Shaikh (@ShaikhInTheCity) January 5, 2016
However, rumors quickly spread round the corridors of Westminster that Corbyn was forced to back down over removing either Benn or Eagle, as this would have lit the touch paper for open warfare within the party. Eagle was likely to be moved, but not demoted from the shadow cabinet.
The only sacking reported Tuesday morning was that of Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Michael Dugher, who has been outspoken in his criticism of Corbyn.
A slow-motion reshuffle: 24 hours after it got underway, we still don't know anything (bar @MichaelDugher's tweet about being fired).
— Andrew Neil (@afneil) January 5, 2016
However, his sacking immediately led to Corbyn's Shadow Home Secretary (and former leadership challenger) Andy Burnham to tweet: "@MichaelDugher is Labour to the core & has served our Party with distinction. He can leave the front-bench with his head held high." That in itself could rattle relations between Corbyn and Burnham.
