James O'Brien's reaction to the resignation of Labour general secretary
4 May 2020, 17:17 | Updated: 4 May 2020, 17:21
James O'Brien's reaction to resignation of Labour general secretary
This was James O'Brien's instant reaction to the resignation of Labour general secretary. What will this mean for the party?
Labour's general secretary Jennie Formby, a strong ally of Jeremy Corbyn, has resigned from her post.
The decision affords new Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer the opportunity to work with a candidate of his own choice, marking a significant political shift within the party.
James reflected that he had hoped the "annihilation" of the general election in December would mean that the Labour left would realise they could not beat the Tories if "they kept battering each other."
"I find the internecine warfare in the party dispiriting and quite dull now."
LBC's political reporter Theo Usherwood said that this move will enable him to shape the Labour party in his own mould and could be the initiation of the party becoming an election winning force in 2024.
My statement on standing down as General Secretary. Thank you to everyone who has given me such incredible support over the last two years and in particular to our members. You are the backbone of our movement and you make a huge difference with all that you do every day. pic.twitter.com/YOLWSqav6h
— Jennie Formby (@JennieGenSec) May 4, 2020
Ms Formby released a statement:
"When I applied for the role of General Secretary in 2018 it was because I wanted to support Jeremy Corbyn, who inspired so many people to get involved in politics with his message of hope, equality and peace.
"It has been a huge privilege to be general secretary of the largest political party in Europe for the last two years, but now we have a new leadership team it is the right time to step down.
“I would like to thank Jeremy, our members and my staff colleagues who have given me so much support during what has been a very challenging period, in particular when I was suffering from ill-health.
“I wish Keir and Angela the very best of luck in taking the party forward and leading Labour to victory at the next general election.”
