• I WOULD like to applaud Jennifer Sheridan for her well-worded and necessary rebuke (The catastrophic consequences of Corbyn’s leadership, December 10) to the letter from Jeremy Corbyn apologist Gareth Murphy, (Sir Keir has taken the Labour Party backwards, December 3).

Evidently north London has a high concentration of such faithful devotees to the high church of Corbynism, since above Ms Sheridan’s letter we hear from Bruce Kent about how Saint Jeremy never fails to help the poor or the needy, (Anti-Corbyn stance risks losing the support of Labour voters, December 10).

However what Corbyn’s disciples crucially overlook is that beyond the metropolitan confines of Camden and Islington, their love for him is not universally shared.

To put its values into action, a political party must be able to form a government via popular support at the ballot box. Corbyn failed to do this twice as Labour Party leader.

I suspect that Sir Keir Starmer’s “anti-Corbyn behaviour” will cause him few problems in winning over voters.

It may even help him: the recent Old Bexley and Sidcup by-election saw the highest swing to Labour at such a contest for 10 years. The party now has an established consistent polling lead over the Conservatives.

And for the first time since Gordon Brown was in office a Labour leader is winning on Ipsos MORI’s “who would make the most capable prime minister?” question with voters.

It may not be what his supporters want to hear, but perhaps over two years since Corbyn led the party to its worst defeat since 1935, some humility from the Labour left might be in order (not that I am holding my breath on that score).

THEO MORGAN
Sutherland Avenue, W9