Sadiq Khan: Labour has let down the poorest and most marginalised in our society Jeremy Corbyn should resign quickly, but Labour’s problems go further than him

Last week’s catastrophic election result was Labour’s worst performance since the 1930s.

No amount of spin can even begin to deflect from the disaster of losing the fourth election in a row following a decade of damaging austerity by the governing party.

By failing to win the trust of the British people, Labour has let down those who desperately need Labour in government – this includes the marginalised, the vulnerable and the poorest in our society.

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It is ludicrous to say we won the argument at this election – because we lost. Shifting the dial on the debate around austerity is no consolation to those most affected by Tory rule.

What faces our country over the next five years as a result of our failure is heartbreaking. Inequality will continue to rise. Our NHS and other public services will continue to be underfunded. The climate emergency will be ignored. And Boris Johnson’s hard Brexit will hurt those who have already suffered the worst from austerity.

That’s why we must take a cold, hard look at what went wrong in the Labour Party. This isn’t about apportioning blame – it’s about learning the right lessons and making fundamental changes, so we don’t repeat the same mistakes.

If we are truly honest with ourselves, Labour simply did not put forward a credible candidate for prime minister or a believable set of priorities for governing. All the evidence – not least from the doorstep and the results – backs this up.

Some individual policies were extremely popular. But that’s not enough. It’s the overall impression in people’s minds that matters, and whether you can pass some basic questions of leadership. Can Labour be trusted to run the country, with everything that entails? Is there a believable economic plan? Will Labour be able to deliver on its promises? If the answer to any of these fundamental questions is no, you can‘t hope to form a government.

Labour’s shocking and repeated failure to tackle anti-Semitism was totally entwined with the failure of leadership. It’s been extremely difficult for me personally to see how the Jewish community has been made to feel by the Labour Party for years on end.

I’ve seen and experienced a lot of racism in my life. And I find it devastating and shameful that so many Jewish people, including many who see Labour as their natural home, came to the conclusion that the party of recent years had become institutionally anti-Semitic.

A fundamental part of our renewal and rehabilitation as a party must be doing whatever it takes to repair Labour’s relations with the Jewish community and stamping out anti-Semitism quickly and without exception.

There’s no doubt Brexit also contributed to what happened last week – we were trying to navigate a deeply divided electorate – but I don’t agree with those who are trying to pin all the blame on Brexit despite the evidence to the contrary. If we are ever going to be able to rebuild as a party, we must truly examine all of the causes of our failure.

For example, we know the NHS was the number-one concern for many voters at this election, not Brexit. But trust in Labour’s ability to run the NHS, as well as other public services, collapsed. Perhaps more than anything else, losing to the Tories on the NHS is the most damning indictment of all – and shows the scale of the challenge ahead.

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Jeremy Corbyn has rightly said he will now stand down, and this should happen quickly, but the changes we have to make as a party do not end with his leadership.

The election showed the extent of damage to the coalition of voters that enabled us to form Labour governments in the past, and how Labour now stands more politically and culturally removed than ever before from many of the people our party was founded to represent.

I first joined the Labour Party as a 15-year-old when Neil Kinnock was leader. I’ve seen how difficult it can be to plot a path back to government from very low points. But, more importantly, I’ve seen and experienced first-hand – as a minister and now as Mayor – the incredible things Labour can achieve in power.

That’s why I’m passionate about helping Labour make the fundamental changes we need to win back support. We have to move outside our comfort zone and engage with those who rejected us in this election, as well as previous ones. The status quo or incremental reform is not an option – and would be a disservice to the millions who desperately need Labour to win in five years’ time.

Sadiq Khan is Mayor of London