Labour for the Common Good

Labour for the Common Good was established in 2015 by Chuka Umunna and Tristram Hunt when, in the lead up to the 2015 Labour Party leadership election, Corbyn began pulling ahead in polling. It stated it was open to "the right to the soft left of the party", and the New Statesman stated that it aimed "to bring together the soft left, old right, Brownites and Blairites to counter the Corbynite wing."{{Cite web |last=Chakelian |first=Anoosh |date=2015-10-23 |title=Labour's warring factions: who do they include and what are they fighting over? |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2015/10/labour-s-warring-factions-who-do-they-include-and-what-are-they-fighting |access-date=2024-01-09 |website=New Statesman |language=en-US}} In response to its establishment, businessman John Mills stated he would "funnel" funding into Labour for the Common Good, having stated he would not fund the party itself under Corbyn.{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Ben Riley |date=2015-09-13 |title=Labour's biggest individual donor to stop funding party after Jeremy Corbyn's victory |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/labour/11862424/Labours-biggest-individual-donor-to-stop-funding-party-after-Jeremy-Corbyns-victory.html |access-date=2024-01-10 |website=The Daily Telegraph |language=en}} The group was seen by MPs as a direct rival to Corbyn's platform within the party, quickly gaining the nickname "the Resistance" in reference to the French Resistance.{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=Joe |date=2015-08-14 |title=Shadow MPs form 'the Resistance' group in anticipation of Corbyn win |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/shadow-cabinet-mps-form-the-resistance-group-in-anticipation-of-corbyn-win-a2633476.html |access-date=2024-01-10 |website=Evening Standard |language=en}} It had its first official meeting on 8 September 2015, four days before the leadership election results were held. Labour for the Common Good existed alongside other groups associated with the moderate centre-left such as Labour Together.{{Citation |last1=Webb |first1=Paul |title=Conflict and cohesion within parties |date=2021-09-28 |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780199217236.003.0007 |work=The Modern British Party System |pages=233 |access-date=2024-01-11 |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/oso/9780199217236.003.0007 |last2=Bale |first2=Tim|isbn=978-0-19-921723-6 |url-access=subscription }}{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Ben Riley |date=2015-12-12 |title=Jeremy Corbyn critics target 100,000 new moderate members in long-term strategy to oust leader |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/Jeremy_Corbyn/12046897/jeremy-corbyn-critics-target-moderate-labour-members.html |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=The Telegraph |language=en}}

In 2016, Gerard Coyne was given a final written warning by Unite the Union general secretary Len McCluskey for speaking at an event held by Labour for the Common Good. The letter stated that his speech was "serious breach of trust".{{Cite news |last1=Syal |first1=Rajeev |last2=Mason |first2=Rowena |date=2017-04-20 |title=Unite: McCluskey rival suspended for 'bringing union into disrepute' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/apr/20/unite-union-gerard-coyne-suspended-west-midlands-len-mccluskey-uk |access-date=2024-01-10 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} In 2015, Peter Hyman, the chief speechwriter and strategist for Tony Blair, said: "This is an existential moment in Labour's history. It may not survive. And it may never win again ... It is now home to two parties – one made up of Corbyn supporters and the other a centre-left party. They can't coexist. One or other will have to find a home outside Labour."{{cite news |last1=Hyman |first1=Peter |title=This is an existential moment in Labour's history. It may not survive. And it may never win again |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/dec/20/labour-party-directionless-political-future |access-date=10 January 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=20 December 2015}} By January 2016, The Guardian and The Observer were reporting a united front against a potential split of the party, with the headline "Let's stick together".{{cite news |title=Let's stick together: Labour's first-termers share their hopes and fears for 2016 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jan/03/labour-party-jeremy-corbyn-first-term-mps-predictions |access-date=10 January 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=3 January 2016}}

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Category:Labour Party (UK) factions

Category:2015 establishments in England

Category:Right-wing ideologies