Team Corbyn Plays Down Clause IV Revival Hint

Jeremy Corbyn's team has denied comments he made hinting that he would reintroduce Labour's commitment to public ownership with a reinstatement of Clause IV.

In an interview the veteran Islington North MP suggested he would consider reversing Tony Blair's decision 20 years ago to scrap Clause IV of the party's constitution.

The hint that he would make such a highly symbolic move triggered significant criticism and was eventually down played by an adviser who said they did not want such a "big moment".

Mr Blair's scrapping of Clause IV was a significant moment in his leadership, helping to convince voters that the party could be trusted again in government after the wilderness years of the 1980s.

And any revival of the clause would have marked a final break with the New Labour era and confirmed for many that the party has made a sizeable shift to the left.

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Mr Corbyn told The Independent on Sunday: "I think we should talk about what the objectives of the party are, whether that's restoring the Clause IV as it was originally written or it's a different one, but I think we shouldn't shy away from public participation, public investment in industry and public control of the railways.

"I'm interested in the idea that we have a more inclusive, clearer set of objectives. I would want us to have a set of objectives which does include public ownership of some necessary things such as rail."

However, later on Sunday, his advisor clarified Mr Corbyn's position by saying: "Jeremy is not saying he wants to return to the old Clause IV, nor does he want a big 'moment' such as that.

"His leadership would be the opposite of top-down changes. He says we need some form of public ownership in some cases, such as rail, on which matter Labour needs to reflect more closely the views of the majority of the public."

Leadership challenger Liz Kendall - seen as being the closest to Mr Blair's policies - fiercely condemned the idea as a throwback to the failed ideas of leftwingers like the late Tony Benn.

"This shows there is nothing new about Jeremy Corbyn's politics. It is just Bennism reheated, a throwback to the past, not the change we need for our party or our country," she said.

"Life had moved on from the old Clause IV in 1994 let alone 2015. We are a party of the future not a preservation society."

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Meanwhile, several major Labour donors have reportedly pledged to stop giving money if Mr Corbyn wins the leadership contest on 12 September.

The Sunday Telegraph quoted the donors as saying victory for Mr Corbyn would be "disastrous" and could lead to Labour being locked out of power for decades.

With Mr Corbyn's campaign continuing to gather momentum, the Labour supporting Sunday People has come out in favour of shadow health secretary Andy Burnham in the leadership contest.