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Town’s Labour group leader set to back Owen Smith in leadership race

Jeremy Corbyn has set out a ten-point plan to “rebuild and transform Britain” as he battles to continue as Labour leader.

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Referring to the challenger, Mr Smith, Mr Rickhuss said: “In a short space of time he has laid out detailed plans to make workplaces fairer and more prosperous”.

Corbyn blamed divisions in the parliamentary Labour Party, which in June voted “no-confidence” in his leadership by 172 ballots to 40, and a “biased” media for the party’s poor showing in the polls.

“Most people in the country don’t think the Labour Party is going places, most people think Labour has lost credibility in recent years and lost further credibility in recent months”, he said.

Mr Corbyn is believed to be away travelling the country to drum up support in his leadership contest with Owen Smith.

“By investing £500bn in infrastructure, manufacturing and new industries backed up by a publicly-owned National Investment Bank and regional banks we will build a high skilled, high tech, low carbon economy that ends austerity and leaves no one and nowhere left behind”, the plan reads.

Labour leadership hopeful Owen Smith has accused the Conservative Government of “destroying Labour’s legacy” and said he is the man to beat.

Mr Corbyn won the backing of the party’s official youth wing, Young Labour, whose national committee voted by 15-8 to nominate him for re-election.

He said the next leader will have to heal the party as splits do not lead to victory at General Elections any sooner.

However, while the government’s economic policy is now highly focused on Brexit, both Smith and Corbyn have pitched their investment plans as broad remedies to inequality, austerity and unemployment, rather than linking them to the vote to leave.

“I trust Mr Corbyn to implement those policies”, she said.

WE Party Leader Sophie Walker, said: “WE said it would change British politics for women everywhere”.

But Smith, 46, has strong support among Labour MPs, who argue that Corbyn – a veteran anti-war and anti-nuclear campaigner who has never held high office – can not beat Prime Minister Theresa May’s governing centre-right Conservatives at the next election.

Mr Smith said he would enact “the most radical programme. since the great Labour government of 1945” and to lead the party back to power. It is assumed he means the party has to unite behind him rather than Corbyn to avoid a split, which could be catastrophic for the party.

“And Jeremy, you couldn’t answer that question, you didn’t have an answer as to how we were going to forge better relations in the party, you simply said “let’s have an election”, you simply said “I’ve got a big mandate”.

Islington South MP Emily Thornberry has so far not declared who she will support in next month’s ballot but has shown steadfast loyalty to Mr Corbyn since he was elected leader past year.

He told the Guardian: “We are teetering on the edge of a precipice here”.

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A police spokesman said they were called to Corbyn’s home in Islington, north London at around 10.30am after receiving reports of the protest.

Jeremy Corbyn will announce 10 policies that he says will 'rebuild and transform Britain'