Conservatives are reportedly campaigning to elect socialist MP Jeremy Corbyn to the Labour Party leadership in the hope that his victory will cause Labour long-term damage and guarantee a Tory win at the next general election.
Under new rules introduced by former leader Ed Miliband, it is now possible to become a Labour “supporter,” as opposed to a full member, complete with voting rights in the leadership election.
Many on the political right have latched on to the development as a means of allegedly ruining Labour. They claim British voters would shun Corbyn’s radicalism were he to lead the party into a general election.
A Twitter campaign called ‘#ToriesForCorbyn’ is now well under way.
Former Tory MP and vocal Thatcherite Louise Mensch even added a pro-Corbyn slogan to her Twitter avatar.
Corbyn, 66, a veteran socialist campaigner, managed to secure a place on the leadership ballot at the last minute after getting the requisite 35 nominations from fellow Labour MPs on Monday.
His three rivals, who are all considered to be considerably to the right of him politically, were dubbed the “Stepford candidates” in a Guardian interview with Corbyn published Wednesday.
Right-wingers are not alone in backing Corbyn. For fundamentally different reasons, leftists on Facebook and Twitter are also being urged to become Labour supporters in order to vote.
Corbyn’s Facebook group now dwarfs those of his main rivals. A Change.org petition demanding his inclusion attracted 7,500 signatures.
Members of Corbyn’s team have called on online campaigners to ensure that “all this energy and power is translated into votes.”
Members of Labour-affiliated trade unions can also register at a reduced price.
Jon Lansman, a spokesperson for the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy, told the leftist Morning Star newspaper: “I think we will see lots of people joining up to back Jeremy.
“There are an awful lot of people out there who have been disillusioned for years, who maybe used to be members of the party who will rejoin in some way.”