Opposition will ‘never, ever be good enough’ for Labour says Sadiq Khan as he takes on Jeremy Corbyn over party’s future
Mayor of London will use conference speech to warn hapless leftie he must focus on winning power
OPPOSITION will “never be good enough” for Labour says Sadiq Khan, as he takes on Jeremy Corbyn over the party’s future.
The Mayor of London will use his first speech to speech since entering City Hall in May to warn the hapless leftie he must focus on winning a General Election.
Mr Khan, tipped as a possible future leader, will say Labour's big city mayors can show the party the way back into power.
His comments, which are likely to be seen as a coded criticism of Mr Corbyn's left-wing policy agenda, come after a string of senior Labour figures warned the leader's approach was rendering the party "unelectable".
Former cabinet minister Lord Blunkett said his re-election was a “catastrophe”, leading to a fiery debate between John Prescott and Piers Morgan.
A clutch of polls released during the four-day conference have put the party's support as low as 26%, with one survey suggesting almost half of Labour supporters think they will never win another election.
One pollster calculated it could be reduced to fewer than 200 MPs in the House of Commons for the first time since 1935.
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Mr Khan will congratulate Mr Corbyn after his victory over Owen Smith and say that "after the election this summer the leadership of our party is now decided".
But he will make clear Labour must now devote its efforts to seizing national power rather than to internal party power struggles.
"It's only with Labour in power that we can create a fairer, more equal and more just Britain," he will warn.
The ex-minister is keen whose to point out his election as London mayor gave him the biggest personal mandate of any politician in UK history, with more than 1.1 million votes.
He will add: "Labour out of power will never, ever be good enough ... The people who need us the most are those who suffer the most when Labour is not in power.
"It's time to put Labour back in power. It's time for a Labour government. A Labour prime minister in Downing Street. A Labour cabinet. Labour values put into action."