Labour has made the following U-turns since taking office, abandoning plans to1) withdraw winter fuel allowance2) hike income tax3) scrap business rate relief for pubs4) impose inheritance tax on farms worth more than £1 million5) reduce PIP payments6) oppose an enquiry into grooming gangs7) give compensation to WASPI women8) rule out an increase in national insurance 9) bring in digital ID10) bring in day one employment rights for employees10) increase defence spending within the the current parliament.I think the answer to your question, Andy, is to be found in the contradiction at the heart of Labour, that it is a socialist party trying to operate within a capitalist system. Labour wishes on the one hand to satisy the aspirations of its left wing membership by bringing in a number of socialist policies which are then shown to be unaffordable or burdensome or just inappropriate . These include compensating Waspi women, taxing employers and landowners, opposing a grooming gangs enquiry, imposing digital IDs on everyone. On the other hand Labour also wishes to run a successful capitalist economy by reducing spending and avoiding tax increases only to find their backbenchers won't allow them to do either, hence the U-turns on benefits payments and income tax.
Steven Rose ● 21d