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.
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The prospect of the party splitting has been raised by political commentators in the wake of the no confidence vote against the current Labour leader by his MPs.
Last night Tory MP Chris Philp said: “The hypocrisy of the Labour Party and its leader claiming it will tackle tax dodging whilst avoiding paying up themselves is extraordinary”.
Mr Smith scaled Mr Corbyn’s roof alongside Martin Matthews, 49, from Middlemead Road, Great Bookham.
Only last September, Jeremy Corbyn won a landslide in Labour’s leadership election, gaining three times the votes of his nearest rival.
Corbyn is backed by Momentum, a mass movement of Labour members, who have turned out in their droves at rallies around the country in recent days, hailing the Labour leader as a genuine alternative to mainstream politicians.
“Jeremy has done a good job of energising, motivating some people who weren’t involved in mainstream politics, and some people who weren’t involved in the Labour Party”.
We shouldn’t be going into a leadership election saying, “Vote for me or some of my supporters will split the party”.
The latest opinion polls make uncomfortable reading, with one by ICM putting the Conservatives 16 points ahead, while a YouGov survey found 29 per cent of Labour voters would prefer Mrs May to Mr Corbyn as prime minister.
– Read our other articles on the Labour leadership election.
“I think as an opposition we’ve done very well”.
But 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”.
“Labour will pledge to rebuild and transform Britain with a bold £500bn programme of investment”.
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has accused Labour leadership hopeful Owen Smith of trying to “blackmail” the party by predicting a split if Jeremy Corbyn is re-elected.
Two campaigners from the New Fathers For Justice pressure group are protesting on the roof of Jeremy Corbyn’s London home and refusing to move until he talks to them about their rights. 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. It is now our responsibility as party members to think of what Essex needs – not just how we feel when Jeremy speaks.
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The victor, chosen by party members, registered supporters and members of affiliated groups such as trade unions, will be announced on Saturday 24 September.
