The Labour leader will face Prime Minister David Cameron for the first time in parliament today during the head of government’s weekly question session.
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While some on Twitter questioned whether Corbyn’s style was tough enough to enable him to hold the Prime Minister to account in the way necessary, reception to his approach was broadly positive.
In the first “crowd-sourced” PMQs, Jeremy Corbyn asked questions that came from members of the public.
“So, I sent out an email to thousands of people and asked them what questions they would like to put to the prime minister and I received 40,000 replies”, he told a packed House.
The PMQs can also be followed on the BBC News website’s live page and its news channel from noon.
Starting out as a rank outsider who struggled to get on the Labour leadership contest ballot paper, Corbyn rode a wave of grassroots enthusiasm to emerge as the shock victor , but his rise has divided Labour.
Mr Rosindell has spoken out about Mr Corbyn’s decision to remain quiet, calling it “unnecessary” and a “mistake”. I think it was right in the Budget to cut the rents that social tenants pay, not least because people who are working and not on housing benefit will see a further increase in their take-home pay, and will be able to afford more things in life. The questions, which covered issues such as housing and family tax credits, were backed up by much detail and many figures from Corbyn – who resisted any temptation for cheap shots and easy soundbites, even if they may have won him some cheap and easy headlines.
He said: “I am envious of the public engagement”.
During the recent Labour leadership campaign I have not been alone, among Labour Party representatives, in being frequently told that I should join the Conservative Party.
However, he is said to have forgotten to have included a pre-briefed section in his speech in which he was to have said: “For the Tories, you are still the enemy within”.
Julian Ware-Lane, deputy leader of the Labour group on Southend Council, said: “We have suffered two bad losses in successive general elections, something I have personal experience of as a candidate on both occasions”.
She said: “It will have offended and hurt people”.
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“If he is one day going to be Prime Minister, then he is going to have the important duty of representing our country and that means singing the national anthem, whatever his personal beliefs might be”.
