As Corbyn departs, Labour must be careful —we need a leader who won’t try to capitalise on the virus

Today Jeremy Corbyn makes his last ever appearance at PMQs as Leader of the Opposition. Five years ago, no one could have imagined him becoming Labour leader and no one could have predicted these traumatic global circumstances. PMQs is a good barometer of how a leader fares and he was consistently appalling. As someone who used to prep Labour leaders for it and has written a book about it (Punch and Judy Politics) your final PMQs as a leader is an important sign off.

I suspect Corbyn will leave with some old-time religion and throw his supporters some final red meat — a critique of how the Government is mishandling the coronavirus crisis, plus a damning indictment on 10 years of cuts plus depleted health and social care services.

To many of his fans — many of them very noisy on social and broadcast media — this crisis is a vindication of his anti-austerity narrative and proof that Labour did in fact win the argument at the last general election, despite suffering its worst defeat in modern history.

It is fair to point out that many people right now would not disagree with what Corbyn will say today. But the problem is that they didn’t trust him in 2017, they didn’t at December’s general election and they still don’t.

However, that doesn’t mean they hate Labour’s values. They didn’t believe in him, rejected his lack of competence and hated his failure to get a grip on anti-Semitism, misogyny and bullying. Character and conduct matters in politics. It’s not a scientific thing. It’s a feeling people get about someone which is hard to define but powerful. It’s why Rishi Sunak drew plaudits for his speech last week.

It wasn’t just about the policies he announced, it was the tone he struck and his manner which many felt contrasted with the demeanour of the Prime Minister. Matt Hancock too has garnered some respect from previous critics for his round-the-clock efforts and sincerity. Labour’s shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth has also conducted himself with great honour.

Labour has to be careful. At around 12:45pm today, Corbyn ceases to exist. All eyes will be on Sir Keir Starmer who is likely to be named as Labour’s next leader. While I have been a fierce critic of Corbyn, it would be unseemly to be jubilant or cheap about his departure. It’s over. This is not the time for further internal division, this is a time to put country above party.

Keir Starmer will need to adopt a tone which tells the public he will support the government where he can in this time of national emergency, but he will also scrutinise and challenge in a way which is forensic, robust and respectful. That is his duty as leader of the opposition.

The time may well come for Labour to draw blood on this crisis and make political capital. But as we bury our dead, now is not that time. We don’t need a leader who crassly attempts to profit out of this human tragedy. We need a statesman.

“Day eight” says the Big Brother voice in my head. I have lots of them now — my new friends. Cut to me laughing maniacally by myself in my flat. Lockdown life is tough. No going out. No fun. No boys. This is what being an Asian teenager is like. And you won’t even get a medical degree at the end of it.

We have to exercise for an hour a day and there’s no Greggs anymore. It’s like national fat camp.

However, in this surreal lonely time there are always some silver linings. It has made me appreciate work all the more and the technology that enables it.

I was never into tech. I was that person who when the IT helpdesk would say: “Can you close the window?” would rush over to wrestle with the sash. I thought the CD-rom drive was a nifty coffee-cup holder. But not anymore. Tech is my lifeline. Tech is my friend, along with all my other imaginary ones.

I am Zooming away abandon for conference calls, interviews and podcasts, complete with a fancy headset and microphone like I’m a doing the traffic report from a helicopter.

Last night I successfully Skyped into Sky News for the press review from my living room (which I had to frantically tidy). I got some nice feedback about how smart I looked. If only they could have seen me from the waist down. The joy of tech.

Today the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity at Birmingham City University launches. Sir Lenny campaigns for getting more BAME talent working on screen and behind it. Right now our newsrooms matter more than ever, and they should reflect the communities they report on.

People of colour in senior media positions are as rare as hen’s teeth. Women and BAME people in the sector are also more vulnerable to job losses.

I hope the new centre helps move the needle.