U.K. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and his challenger, Owen Smith, clashed over loyalty and electability as well as nuclear weapons and anti-semitism in a fractious first debate in the race to lead the U.K.’s main opposition.
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“He very plainly can not lead a party and his continued presence as Labour leader makes our ability to build an election-winning, social movement, the likes of which was saw in the late 90s and early 00s, harder not easier”.
In a speech in Dagenham, east London, Mr Corbyn is expected to say: “There is vast potential in the skills and talents of our people and huge opportunities ahead of us in science, technology and culture”. They are not Blairites.
We agree that we need a united Labour Party, we absolutely need that, because disunited parties lose elections.
She said: “The whole point of expediting the case is so that if we do win, the excluded members can be on the voting lists before they are finalised on August 8”. I think we have moved on from that style of politics.
Mr Smith warned on Wednesday that the party was “teetering on the brink of a precipice”, prompting one of Mr Corbyn’s top aides to accuse him of trying to “blackmail” members into backing him.
Addressing Mr Smith, Mr Corbyn said: “What I don’t understand is how you can complain about disunity in the party when you and others are the ones who resigned from the shadow cabinet at the very point when we could have taken it to them”.
– 38 per cent feel the country will be economically worse off by being out of the European Union compared to 29 per cent who said the country would be better off.
“I like Owen. I always thought he would be a future leader of the Labour Party”. “So why did you resign?”, Mr Corbyn shot back.
The endorsement came less than 24 hours after the two contenders went head-to-head before an audience of Welsh Labour party members in the first hustings of the leadership campaign, in Cardiff.
“We need to be more than radical, we need to be credible”.
Earlier he outlined 10 pledges “to rebuild and transform Britain” in a speech in Dagenham, east London, as part of his pitch to remain Labour leader.
“While many in the Labour Party trust you, the country doesn’t trust you and therein lies the problem”, he said. Nor is proposing a “semi-split” with the creation of an “alternative Labour” if Corbyn remains leader.
However, a Labour party source said the bulk of those excluded were for technical rather than political reasons, such as not being on the electoral register, or already qualifying for a vote through full membership or union affiliation.
The court action affects nearly 130,000 disenfranchised Labour supporters who could play an important role in the contest if they win the right to vote.
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The leadership contest has been soured by reports of bullying and intimidation with the Wallasey Labour Party suspended pending an investigation.
