There isn’t another politician in the Labour Party capable of doing that.
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Eagle announced her retirement from the leadership contest before her vote count was officially released.
They believe he is an incapable leader driving the party towards another crushing general election defeat in 2020 with an uncompromisingly leftist platform that can not win over swing voters who backed the Conservatives at the 2015 election.
Catherine McKinnell, Labour MP for Newcastle upon Tyne North, said: “I am backing Owen Smith as he can provide the fresh and credible leadership Labour needs, with a resolute commitment to keeping our party together”.
“It’s the job, it’s the duty, it’s the responsibility of every Labour MP to get behind the party”, Corbyn said at the start of his leadership campaign.
While Corbyn has presided over a dramatic increase in party membership, the euro skeptic leader lost the support of three-quarters of Labour MPs after being accused to leading a half-hearted campaign to remain in the EU.
Speaking at the launch of his campaign to hold onto the leadership, Mr Corbyn had a laugh at Pontypridd MP Mr Smith’s expense.
Mr Smith, the former Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, will now stand in an election against Mr Corbyn, with Labour members and registered supporters voting on who they want to lead them.
Labour MPs face mandatory reselection battles before being to be allowed to fight under the party banner, Jeremy Corbyn signalled today.
“Owen Smith was in the shadow cabinet until two weeks ago and he came to see me to say he was very happy in the shadow cabinet and wanted to stay there and then left the meeting and resigned which was a slightly odd thing to do”, said the Labour leader.
“From a year ago when Labour was too cautious in criticizing cuts, now, I’m really hard-pressed to find even a Tory (Conservative) to defend it”, he said.
“I hope they will recognise that and come on board”.
Jezza insisted he would tackle “injustices” surrounding inequality, neglect, insecurity, prejudice and discrimination – which he described as the “five ills” of 21st century Britain.
Lawyers for the Labour leader successfully argued he had a right to be heard in the case because his interests were not the same as those of Labour’s general secretary, Iain McNicol, who had previously been the only named defendant in the case brought by a Labour donor.
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“The branch believes that the reason for the attacks on Jeremy is not his supposed unelectability – but the fear of his Labour Party being elected – ditching neo-liberalism (not before time) and starting on the long road to socialism, which is an apocalyptic vision for the Blairites in the Labour Party”.
