“If [Keir Starmer] is not careful, he risks becoming fixed in the public’s mind as someone who can’t be trusted. Sadly, my own experience of dealing with Starmer – as leader of Labour’s largest trade union affiliate until last month – offers nothing to dispel this image…

When Starmer took over, I hoped for good relations between us. To begin with, that’s how they were. Contrary to what might be expected, I spoke to Starmer far more than I ever did Jeremy Corbyn. But that all changed after Starmer’s destructive decision to suspend his predecessor from the party in October last year.

As I explain in greater depth in my book, Always Red, the final breakdown came not over the suspension itself – although I thought that a hot-headed act – but when Starmer chose to break an honest deal agreed between us for Corbyn’s readmission to the party.”

Read the full article here.