Volte Face, Mr Corbyn?

Jeremy Corbyn claimed on Tuesday that “Britain can be better off after Brexit”, in his first major intervention of the year which will include a toughening of his line on immigration.

In a speech that has been billed as a relaunch of his leadership, Corbyn will say the country voted for Brexit to “regain control over our economy, our democracy and people’s lives”.

Significantly the Labour leader will go further than he has previously in accepting the argument that immigration must be cut following Brexit - and will set out how he believes that could be achieved.

Corbyn, who has been a staunch supporter of EU free movement of people rules, has been under pressure from Labour MPs to concede immigration is too high and must be brought down.

In his speech, Corbyn will say Labour is “not wedded to freedom of movement for EU citizens as a point of principle” and that there must be “fair rules and reasonably managed migration”.

“Unlike the Tories, Labour will not offer false promises on immigration targets or sow division by scapegoating migrants,” he will say. Aol News.

To be fair, there were no great hopes for Jeremy Corbyn’s relaunch. The fact that the rocket exploded on the launch pad could hardly have come as much of a surprise to anyone, though the fact that it was Corbyn himself that sabotaged the mission was a novelty.

The plan wasn’t the worst one Team Corbyn has ever come up with. On the biggest issue facing our politicians, the issue thrown into sharp relief by last year’s EU referendum result, Corbyn intended to announce a major personal and political U-turn that might move him a baby-step closer to public opinion. Labour, we were told to expect him to say, is “not wedded” to freedom of movement.

This was a big change. This was on a par with Neil Kinnock in 1988 coming around (far too late) to a realisation that his lifelong support for unilateral nuclear disarmament had been a mistake. Telegraph, Tom Harris.