It wouldn’t be Labour conference without a star appearance from the independent MP for Islington North. Appearing last night at a Stop the War fringe – an official meeting listed in Labour’s conference app and fringe guide – Jeremy Corbyn once again took to the mic to remind everyone to spare a thought for the Russian soldiers as shells rain down on Kharkiv:

“…the message from this meeting is yes, we condemn that invasion. Yes, we condemn the killing and the occupation, but we also recognise that it’s Russian soldiers that are dying as well… There’s no one here that is an apologist for that invasion. But it does mean we also have to look at how we end that and bring them about the peace process. The opportunities for negotiation on many occasions were completely missed and I think the United Nations has a lot to answer for.”

Will someone please think of the Russians…

Claudia Webbe, independent MP for Leicester East, also sent a statement condemning the “dangerous rhetoric [that will] inflame the conflict”, claiming the Ukrainian invasion shows how “through the prism of racism, some conflicts, wars as instances of mass suffering are seen as more important and deserving of sympathy than others”. 

Despite having educated the room on diplomacy, Jeremy’s odds of standing as a Labour MP at the next election remain virtually zero. His supporters’ efforts to pass a rule change allowing local constituency parties (CLPs) to force through their preferred candidates was rejected by 41% to 59%. There’s always next year…