Faced with the worst, most incompetent, most corrupt, government in living memory what does Labour do?  It turns its tanks not against Kemal (known to some as “Johnson”) and his ranks of putrid failures, but against its own left flank.

In truth there was no choice.  The accusations of anti-Semitism under Corbyn’s leadership are unanswerable.   Abject apology and remedial action are the only way forward.  I believe Corbyn to be a good and decent man, but utterly unsuited to the leadership of a main-line political party: his views are too marginal and his personality not suited to effective administration.   It must be added that the majority of voters disagreed, profoundly: they thought him utterly unfit for government and the Tory majority at the last election is due at least as much to the Leader of the Opposition as to the victor.

That is bad enough. The country is paying a price, terrible in its extortion. But compounded by the statement Corbyn released yesterday, essentially denying the thrust of the report on anti-Semitism  in the party. At that point it became clear: as with Rebecca Long-Bailey. He had to go.

Labour is now plunged into civil war.  That may not be a bad thing.  In fact, blood letting is arguably the quickest way to cauterize the wound of Corbyn-ism.   The majority of voters did not like (well, did not vote for) Corbyn and his left of centre policies: the most effective way to demonstrate that they no longer lurk is to dismiss him: brutal,  but effective. So effective, in fact, that this may be the point at which Starmer shows himself to be truly prime minister in waiting.  I do not think he wanted this moment, but comes the hour and comes the man.

And if there are some rough months ahead, well, that’s no bad thing.  We are not yet at the end of year one of a fixed term government, with four years to come.  Starmer has shewn himself master of detail, master of the pithy phrase, a clever and able administrator.   Is he ruthless?  There was a glimpse of the switch-blade  in his treatment of Long-Bailey.  There can now be no doubt:  he has screwed his courage to the sticking point.

And he’ll not fail.