Mr Corbyn said he would offer the “hand of friendship” to the MPs who had quit the Labour frontbench but insisted the PLP must respect the result of the leadership election.
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“It’s the job, it’s the duty, it’s the responsibility of every Labour MP to get behind the party at that point and put it there against the Tories about the different, fairer kind of Britain that we can build together”.
Many were dismayed at what they saw as Corbyn’s ineffectual performance during the European Union referendum campaign which ended last month with a vote to leave the bloc. This party is strong.
Mr Smith said the Welsh Labour leader and first minister “should be much more associated with big decisions being taken in Westminster”.
Some commentators have warned the outcome could split the historic Labour Party, which grew out of Britain’s trade union movement in the 19th century.
The Independent reported earlier this year how a number of high-profile Labour MPs who want Corbyn replaced face losing their seats in a “bloodbath” re-selection process – including the former shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn and former business secretary Chuka Umunna.
In his formal leadership speech, Corbyn took inspiration from social reformer William Beveridge and argued the Labour Party must confront “five evils” plaguing society.
“I hope Owen will fully agree with me that the NHS should be free at the point of use, should be run by public sector workers from the NHS, not private companies”, Corbyn said, adding that medical research should not be “farmed out” to pharmaceutical multinationals. But he hoped there would be a process that “strengthens democracy”. The party’s MPs are generally more conservative than its broader membership, which has grown to half a million since Mr Corbyn became leader a year ago. “And I appeal to them to work together”, he said.
Mr Smith, who resigned as shadow Work and Pensions Secretary last month, would remain on the backbenches if he fails to oust the Labour leader.
Asked about the polls, which show Labour lagging some way behind the Conservatives and Corbyn facing hugely negative personal ratings, the Labour leader said these would shift: “I think that once the leadership election is over, many will realise the importance of the message we are putting forwards”.
He said he was also “someone who believes we’ve got to think about what it is we want to hold in common as well as what we can devolve”. “And I think that means that Labour has to be a credible party of government”. This will be Corbyn’s second leadership contest in just 10 months as he is accused, from within his own party, of lacking effective policy and leadership skills.
People could register as supporters – giving them a one-off vote – by paying £25 and stating they “share” Labour’s aims and values.
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Labour supporters did not cast their votes for MPs in the expectation that they would go on strike against the rest of the party in an interminable tantrum against the refusal of grassroots members to back the leadership candidate of their choice.
