I don’t think we can win, Jeremy, at the moment.
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Jeremy Corbyn defended his leadership of Labour as challenger Owen Smith warned that the party was falling behind the Tories under his direction while “fighting like ferrets in a sack”.
Mr Smith shared videos on social media showing police closing off the street in north London and the pair talking to “negotiators in Corbyn’s house” through a skylight.
Britain’s embattled Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will debate head-to-head for the first time on Thursday with the man seeking to unseat him in a bitter contest that has exposed deep divisions in the main opposition party.
Mr Rickhuss said: “Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership now presents a significant barrier to a future Labour government”.
But Mr Smith, 46, has strong support among Labour MPs, who argue that Mr 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.
For much of the debate, the two contenders traded promises to fight austerity, boost employment and offer protections to workers. “It’s a fractured, splintered party and the only people who will benefit from that will be the Tories”.
However, Mr Smith called his rival “naive” and said the world was becoming more volatile and the UK’s security was improved by having nukes.
The audience erupted into loud cheers at the Labour leader’s remarks but were met with fury from Mr Smith. They are not Blairites.
He said he wanted Corbyn, who was due at a rally in Wales today, to “hold the government to account” to improve the rights of fathers in the family courts. “They are just Labour MPs, Jeremy”. Famed CND campaigner Mr Corbyn stressed how futile nuclear weapons were – and that spending billions of pounds on something that would cause mass destruction to the planet was a waste of money and also a threat to peace.
While Mr Corbyn insisted he had campaigned to stay in the European Union, he refused to back his challenger’s calls for a second referendum on any Brexit deal.
Smith uploaded this clip of and Matthews on the Labour leader’s roof.
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William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe said: “Mr Corbyn has emerged from the opening round with a points lead over his opponent, according to political punters, and seems to be heading for another knockout victory”.
