Reaction: Hardline Corbynistas will not be shedding a tear at Campbell’s departure, but centrists colleagues within the party are distraught. Labour peer Charlie Falconer — a close friend of Tony Blair who was in Corbyn’s first shadow Cabinet in 2015 — wrote on Twitter: “An incredibly sad significant day. Labour Govt, 1997-2010, did so much for so many people. Schools, hospitals, better transport, minimum wage, human rights, surestart. Alastair drove so much of it.” Campbell will be out and about giving broadcast interviews this morning.
All of which will overshadow: Corbyn’s trip to Blackpool today, where he will join public protests against fracking firm Cuadrilla. The Indy has a decent preview of his trip. Blackpool, of course, is a prominent Tory/Labour marginal, and will be the first of many Corbyn visits on a north of England tour over the next few days. Other stops will phone number library include Southport, Liverpool, Manchester Nottingham and Mansfield over the weekend — it’s not just the Tories getting ready for a general election.
PARLIAMENT: In recess until Tuesday, September 3.
CRUMBLING WRECK: Time magazine has a big feature today on the dismal physical state of parliament, and carries worrying warnings from senior figures involved in the long-delayed rebuilding job. “I’ve been here six years, but in the last 18 months I’ve felt the difference,” says Andy Piper, design director of the restoration and renewal program. “The extreme potential for the building to kill people is becoming more obvious.” Which is reassuring for those of us who work there on a daily basis.
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