Maajid Nawaz Pinpoints Why Labour Members Need To Stop Complaining About Corbyn

30 April 2017, 14:36 | Updated: 30 April 2017, 17:21

Maajid Nawaz says that Labour members complaining about Corbyn should change party, because it was a socialist party before Blair.

Maajid Nawaz has a message for Labour members complaining about Corbyn not being in touch with the party - because he's just brought it back to its roots.

He said: "We've got a right wing party it's called the Conservative Party, we've got a centrist moderate party, it's called the Lib Dems, and shouldn't we also have a left wing party, and that currently is called, surprise surprise, what's its name? Labour.  

"Because it was the Labour Party, set up for organised Labour, set up to represent the trade unions, or trades' unions, set up to represent people that were involved in the industry of Labour, and that's what the word means, right?  

"It was set up for organised Labour, it was a socialist party, it was Tony Blair who orchestrated the removal of clause four from the Labour party's constitution, that ended its socialist era, and Corbyn is simply taking it back to what it used to be.  

"Back to its pre ending of clause four days. In other words, back to being before Tony Blair made it what it was when he became Labour leader.  So Corbyn isn't the aberration, Corbyn isn't the anomaly, and Corbyn's leadership, and leadership team, aren't the anomaly, they are the return to the norm, it's a bit like a return of the Jedi.  

"They've gone back to what the Labour Party used to be, and it was Tony Blair who was the anomaly. What Tony Blair and the other centrists, they're called Blairites, and really sensible Labor people should do, is join a more sensible party, if they don't like the leftist, communist almost, and definitely socialist the Labour Party.  

"I don't like the socialist and almost communist Labour party, which is why I would never vote nor join the communist almost and definitely socialist Labour Party, but if you don't like that, then leave. I don't understand why you're still there.  

"Because, by the way, even when Corbyn loses, and he will lose, I think, quite abismally in this upcoming general election, and even if you attempt to unseat him, or to dethrone him, that doesn't mean that the Labour Party will return, it won't return back to its Blairite heyday.  And the reason it won't, is because certain institutions have been taken over, by the socialists by those who are on the left, and the hard left, and the constitution of the party has changed.  

"So the Parliamentary Labour Party no longer has this ability to influence who the leader will be by controlling a third of the votes, even if you only had 10 MPs hypothetically, they'd still have a third of the say, a third of the votes over who becomes the Labour party leader.  Well the PLP, the Parliamentary Labour Party, doesn't have that chunk of the vote anymore, now it's one person, one vote.  Which means the Labour rank and file can vote for their own leader.  

"Isn't that how it should be?  Why do you want to make the Labour party less democratic by taking back one third of the votes for your MPs.  Shouldn't it always be one person, one vote? Isn't that democracy? 

"And so those moderate reformers within the Labour Party, who would, are no doubt, want to unseat Jeremy Corbyn when he doesn't win, and would no doubt want to change the constitution within the Labour Party, so that the Parliamentary Labour Party block, has a third of the say over who becomes a Labour leader, those moderates, how moderate can you be if you want the party to be less democratic?  What I suggest to you, politely, kindly, as a gentle suggestion, it's a nudge really, is leave that ship.  

"That ship is firmly steered towards the left. If it's too left wing for you, as it is too left wing for me, leave that ship."