“I think the vast majority of our MPs actually respect Jeremy Corbyn and what he stands for, even though they may be in disagreement with him on some issues – that’s politics”.
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Then there is the refugee crisis.
“They also want representatives in Parliament who will see those sort of policies through so there is going to be a debate around issues like who represents Labour in Parliament”.
Leaving the European Union will leave Britain more exposed to terrorist attack, former Labour home secretary Alan Johnson is warning as he launches Labour’s campaign for the United Kingdom to remain in the EU 28-nation bloc.
Mr Corbyn visited Oldham on Friday to hail Mr McMahon’s victory, declaring that it “shows the way we have driven the Tories back on tax credits, police cuts, on their whole austerity agenda and narrative”. If that had happened it would have nearly certainly brought a premature end to Ed Miliband’s leadership.
Oldham doesn’t tell us anything for one key reason: the next general election is not going to be won in Oldham or in any of the other safe seats dotted around the country. Unfortunately for them, such an outcome is unlikely and here’s why. However, Labour did secure a higher vote shares as the voting turnout was lower than that in May’s General Election at just over 40%. In more competitive marginal seats, voters tended to shy away from the insurgents. There is no mention of them not being able to speak English or people not having heard of Jeremy Corbyn.
He said Oldham West and Royton was a “different type of constituency with different demographics” in a “very strong Labour heartland”.
Last night Corbyn and Watson sent a joint email to Labour party members, as first reported by BuzzFeed News.
Labour’s share of the vote increased by more than seven points to 62.1% and there was a 2.27% swing from Ukip to Labour. Even in Heywood and Middleton, where Labour had a fright, its share of the vote held steady.
Corbyn hailed the comprehensive victory as “a vote of confidence” in Labour.
And Stockport MP Ann Coffey, who received emails branding her a “warmonger” and a “red Tory”, said that “unfortunate” comments from senior party figures had effectively given campaigners “permission to target MPs”.
The problem for the Eurosceptics was that Oldham Council leader Jim McMahon, a Labour moderate who backed Liz Kendall in the party’s leadership election, had fought off a bunch of left-wing rivals to secure his party’s nomination.
Moreover, numerous Conservative voters in this seat are not blue-collar Essex-type Tories who warm to Ukip.
“Jeremy Corbyn’s elected representatives are coming under pressure from people who think they are operating in the leader’s name and only the leader and his team can take action to distance themselves from people who are not Labour representatives. And many of them are now looking for an alternative”.
Now think about the numbers.
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Yet the Labour leader had not campaigned in Oldham West, partly because of his preoccupation with the Syria vote in the House of Commons on December 2nd.
