Hapless Jeremy Corbyn’s ex-wife reveals she’s voting for his rival Owen Smith in Labour leadership contest after a disastrous 12 months in charge
Professor Jane Chapman said his lack of a vision for post-Brexit Britain as why she's backing his challenger
HAPLESS Jeremy Corbyn’s ex-wife has revealed she is voting for his rival Owen Smith in the Labour leadership contest.
Professor Jane Chapman said his lack of a vision for post-Brexit Britain, poor media performances, and the way he has divided the party as reasons for backing his challenger.
It comes on the final day of voting in the race to lead the country’s official opposition, with Mr Corbyn expected to romp to victory.
Mr Smith all but acknowledged his defeat in a downbeat message to supporters, saying the policies he put forward during the three-month campaign "will remain as relevant after this contest as they have been during this contest".
But one person not looking forward to a continuation of Mr Corbyn as leader is Prof Chapman, who was married to him from 1974 to 1979.
The academic, who voted for him in last year’s contest “out of personal loyalty”, said a disastrous first 12 months in charge had seen her switch sides.
She told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I’ve been so saddened and really upset by some of the things… this last year that I just feel that Owen’s policies are also radical and that’s good.
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“So I don’t think there’s more difference in policies. But there’s more difference in flexibility, media ability… and I think the ability to unite the party and to have a longer term post-Brexit vision. I think that’s something that’s been missing.”
On Mr Corbyn’s plan for Britain outside the EU she replied: “I think if he has got the vision it’s not coming across sufficiently in the public sphere, in the media coverage, put it this way.
“The stakes are really high at the moment, and I think the role of the PLP is going to be crucial as we know because there’s going to be a lot of work with legislation as we withdraw and it’s really important that the Labour party puts up a strong case in parliament.
“So I think that emphasis has to be on the PLP as well as the democracy and the grassroots.”
Decrying his leadership skills the professor said: “I think he could develop it but it’s been a bit slow and it’s been a bit chaotic.
“And I think we’re running out of time, because the longer he takes to develop it and his team, the more Labour is losing in the polls. That’s the reality of it.”
The pair were both Labour councillors in Haringey, north London, during the 1970s – saying Mr Corbyn had not “changed much politically” since they first met.
She added: “That begs the question, are the politics of the 1970s relevant to the 21st Century and to post-Brexit Britain?”
The result of the leadership election will be announced on Saturday morning at a special Labour conference in Liverpool.