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The tightrope of Brexit and class appeal: can Corbyn make it?

If Labour seeks to mobilize its traditional working-class base, changes in MPs´ backgrounds may be far more relevant than any change in its policies.

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People take part in the People's Vote March in London, Britain, on Oct. 20, 2018. Ray Tang/Press Association. All rights reserved.

In 2015, when Corbyn was running for the leadership of Labour, he proposed a fund to enable working class members to become MPs. The leadership candidate explained the reasons for this fund in the following way: “If the party is to win back the five million predominantly working-class voters lost since 1997, then we must reflect those we seek to represent. It is not enough to be for working people – we have to be of working people as well”[i].