Podcast Summary: Newscast

Episode: Old Newscast: How Jeremy Corbyn Won The Labour Leadership 2015 (Part 1)
Date: December 29, 2025
Host: Adam Fleming
Guests: Nick Watt (former Guardian political reporter), Jane Merrick (former Political Editor, Independent on Sunday)

Overview:

This episode revisits the dramatic and unexpected ascendancy of Jeremy Corbyn to Labour Party leader in 2015. The hosts and guests reflect, as journalists who covered the period, on how Corbyn—a rank outsider with little expectation of success—was able to not only get on the ballot but win the leadership contest by a landslide. The conversation sets the scene, traces the immediate aftermath of Labour's 2015 electoral defeat, explores the party's “crossroads” moment, and unpacks the critical factors that enabled Corbyn’s entry into the race.

Main Topics & Key Discussion Points:

1. Setting the Scene: Labour at Rock Bottom (01:24–08:11)

• Labour’s huge loss in the 2015 general election left the party demoralized and directionless.
• Ed Miliband’s immediate resignation put Harriet Harman as interim leader.
• Notable moments: Nick Clegg’s devastated reaction, Ed Miliband’s resignation speech, and David Cameron’s surprise majority win.
  • Quote, Adam Fleming (04:27):
    "Two hours where it was just absolutely incredible as a journalist, because you had Nick Clegg crying pretty much... Ed Miliband looking really upset, but also really relieved... and then 15 minutes later, you had David Cameron waltzing into Downing street with a majority that no one had ever expected."
• Labour’s existential crisis: What would their new direction be?

2. The Legacy of Ed Miliband and Labour’s Leftward Shift (06:17–07:03)

• Miliband’s campaign was more left-wing than in 2010 but still not radical.
• The party was already questioning its ideological position and how to differentiate itself from the Conservatives.

3. The Welfare Cuts Vote and Party Division (07:55–09:55)

• Harriet Harman, as interim leader, chose not to oppose new welfare cuts, weakening Labour’s left credentials.
  • Quote, Jane Merrick (08:11):
    "Her positioning in hindsight, sort of... It consolidated a feeling among some Labour members... is this what we want? Do we really want this? Kind of more of the same, you know, a kind of a Tory light."
• Andy Burnham’s standing was undermined by this controversial abstention.
  • Quote, Nick Watt (09:03):
    "Harriet Harman instructed the Shadow Cabinet to abstain on that crucial welfare vote... And he [Burnham] says that was an absolutely crucial moment in undermining his credibility to be seen on the left."

4. Labour’s New Leadership Voting Rules (09:55–11:37)

• In response to earlier selection scandals, Miliband changed leadership voting, allowing anyone to become a “registered supporter” for £3, extending voting rights far beyond traditional party structures.
• This created the environment for thousands of new supporters to impact the leadership outcome.
  • Quote, Nick Watt (11:07):
    "...they were known as the three pounders. You sign up and you get the vote. And that was very, very significant."

5. Who Was Jeremy Corbyn? (11:52–16:25)

• Corbyn: veteran backbencher, anti-war campaigner, associated with the Socialist Campaign Group, not considered a major figure or future leader.
  • Quote, Jane Merrick (12:48):
    "He was never seen as, you know, be anywhere near power, but he was a sort of a, you know, had very strong beliefs about anti war collectivism..."
• Corbyn’s personality was unassuming, understated—literally walked in the corridors’ margins.
  • Quote, Nick Watt (13:32):
    "He'd sort of walk really, really close to the wall... a marginal figure that nobody, a literal outsider, nobody talked to."
• Nick Watt recalls a senior London Labour MP admitting never having spoken to Corbyn before he became leader (13:50).
• Memorable moment: 1984 Newsnight clip where Corbyn defends wearing a homemade jumper in Parliament (13:59–14:42).
• Corbyn’s one genuine power base was his local Islington North constituency, where he was beloved and embedded.

6. The Guardian, Seamus Milne, and the Media’s Role (16:07–16:49)

• Corbyn’s ideological world had a place in parts of the left media, especially the Guardian, whose comment editor Seamus Milne (a future Corbyn aide) was “very, very left wing”.

7. How Jeremy Corbyn Became a Candidate: The ‘Cab Rank’ Theory (18:34–20:27)

• It wasn’t inevitable that Corbyn would run—he emerged as the candidate almost by default, as others (McDonnell, Abbott) had already taken their turn.
  • Quote, Jane Merrick (19:44):
    "It was a kind of, you know, who’s next on the cab rank, isn’t it?... and it's sort of the nominations. He got enough nominations. And he basically said... ‘Unfortunately, my hat was put in the ring.’"
• The campaign group “always” put up a candidate—this time it turned out to be Corbyn, not by master plan but chance and duty.

8. Broadening the Debate: The “Pity Nomination” Phenomenon (21:00–23:00)

• Several MPs, including Margaret Beckett, nominated Corbyn “to broaden the debate”, fully expecting him to lose.
  • Quote, Margaret Beckett, via Jane Merrick (21:24):
    "I nominated him because he said that he wanted to stimulate a different kind of debate and I was up for that... I didn’t expect him to be elected the leader and I was dismayed when he was."
  • Quote, Jane Merrick (22:08):
    “Oh, I think it’s one of the worst [mistakes] I’ve ever made.”
• Some nominations were transactional; London mayoral hopefuls also nominated Corbyn for party selection reasons.
• John McTernan was brutally critical of MPs who nominated Corbyn:
  • Nick Watt (24:26):
    "The people who nominated Jeremy Corbyn and didn't believe in him were morons... The moronic MPs who nominated Jeremy Corbyn to have a debate... need their heads felt..."

9. Last-Minute Drama: Corbyn’s Cliffhanger Ballot Access (25:45–28:32)

• Corbyn struggled to meet the 35 nominations required to appear on the ballot; journalists and even his team doubted it would happen.
  • Quote, Jane Merrick (26:05):
    "On the Monday morning... we had this huge graphic of who are the Labour leadership candidates... and a tiny little photo of Jeremy Corbyn and we were calling it Pixels Wide. He's not gonna get the nominations."
• John McDonnell (future Shadow Chancellor) was in tears, “begging” for last-minute nominations.
• Corbyn ultimately squeaked over the line, getting his 35th nomination with only minutes to spare.
  • Quote, Jeremy Corbyn (29:35):
    "Yes, we got the 35th in with two minutes to go. We had two minutes to spare."

10. Reflections on the Irony & Aftermath (29:41–31:34)

• Corbyn himself acknowledged on TV that many colleagues who nominated him didn’t actually agree with him—"pity nominations."
  • Quote, Jeremy Corbyn (30:00):
    "Those colleagues who nominated me... may not necessarily agree with me on the pitch I'm taking or my views on many things, but they also felt there needs to be a full debate on policy in the party."
• Adam Fleming’s memorable photo: Margaret Hodge, later a fierce Corbyn critic, hugs and congratulates him, exemplifying the irony and unpredictability of what lay ahead (30:42–31:16).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps):

• On Corbyn’s outsider status:
  Nick Watt (13:32):
  "He'd sort of walk really, really close to the wall... a literal outsider, nobody talked to."

• On “broadening the debate”:
  Margaret Beckett via Jane Merrick (21:24):
  "I nominated him because he said that he wanted to stimulate a different kind of debate and I was up for that... I didn’t expect him to be elected the leader and I was dismayed when he was."

• On John McDonald’s desperation:
  Jane Merrick (27:57):
  "John McDonnell... had been in tears in the minutes before 12 o' clock as he was begging his colleagues to support Jeremy Corbyn."

• On the significance of process and chance:
  Nick Watt (27:43):
  "They were literally his team standing outside there. Please do it, please do it... It was absolutely touch and go whether he was going to do it."

• Corbyn’s own reaction to scraping onto the ballot:
  Jeremy Corbyn (29:35):
  "Yes, we got the 35th in with two minutes to go. We had two minutes to spare."

• Adam Fleming on the mood in the newsroom:
  Adam Fleming (30:42):
  “Jeremy Corbyn has walked in to come and talk to the media... Margaret Hodge. She hugs him and congratulates him... a photo of the moment... just such an ironic photo because she'd go on to become a mortal opponent of his.”

Segment Breakdown (Timestamps):

• Labour’s 2015 election defeat and aftermath: 01:24–08:11
• Leadership contest process & Miliband’s changes: 09:55–11:37
• Corbyn’s background and outsider image: 11:52–16:49
• Guardian connection & media angle: 16:07–16:49
• The search for a left-wing candidate; why Corbyn ran: 18:34–20:27
• The ‘broaden the debate’ rationale & MP regret: 21:00–23:00
• Near-miss: the dramatic nomination deadline: 25:45–29:41
• Immediate reaction to getting on the ballot: 29:24–30:29
• Reflections & setting up the next episode: 30:42–31:48

Takeaways:

• Corbyn’s ascent was a blend of chance, procedural quirks, post-defeat soul-searching, and “pity nominations”.
• Many key participants—MPs and journalists alike—misread the mood and underestimated the appetite for an alternative.
• Significant party rules changes and the presence of an energized, new supporter base (the “three pounders”) were crucial.
• Broadening debate, intended as a theoretical exercise, became a transformative event.

The episode concludes by teeing up the next episode, which will explore the campaign itself and how Corbyn harnessed unexpected momentum to sweep to victory.