The Corbyn doctrine on foreign policy

BENEATH A GAZEBO on Whitehall, Jeremy Corbyn gazed towards his past. Banners from different stages of the Labour leader’s life floated above the crowd that had gathered on June 4th to protest against a state visit by Donald Trump. A flag for Stop the War, an organisation once chaired by Mr Corbyn, loomed large. So did a placard for the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, another group he has supported. A few logos of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, which Mr Corbyn helped run, were visible. Behind his left shoulder, meanwhile, lay Mr Corbyn’s possible future: the entrance to Downing Street. He has spent his life protesting against British foreign policy. Soon he may run it.

Just as Labour has plans to overhaul Britain’s economy, so too does it promise to upend the country’s relationship with the world. It says that under Mr Corbyn Britain would lead the fight on climate change, force big companies to behave themselves in developing countries and, through some diplomatic ju-jitsu, bring about an end to unilateral military action.