Allies of Keir Starmer will be tempted to dismiss the announcement that Jeremy Corbyn is set to form a breakaway party including the other four pro-Palestinian MPs elected in last year's general election, the suspended Labour MP Zarah Sultana and about 200 councillors.
For some Starmer aides, the formal split will usefully remind voters that Labour is in the centre ground, despite the damaging headlines about the humiliating climbdown forced by rebels over welfare cuts.
