Thanking grassroots supporters who look set to keep him in charge of Britain’s opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn seems unruffled by accusations from fellow lawmakers that his left-wing agenda will never deliver election victory.
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He spent much of the last full day of campaigning locked in a national executive committee (NEC) meeting, which failed to reach consensus on how to appoint the party’s shadow cabinet after nearly nine hours of talks.
The appeal was sent by union reps Jim Hunter and Tim Waters, according to PoliticsHome.
“In the next few days, I will be holding discussions with MPs and others about the best way to cement a new working relationship with the parliamentary Labour party, as we democratise our party and its structures”.
His deputy Tom Watson instead wants MPs to be given more of a say in appointments to the shadow cabinet in a bid to heal the rift between the two sides.
Watson believes the idea would encourage some of the former frontbenchers who walked out earlier this summer to return.
The comment appears to contradict Mr Smith’s insistence that he made a decision to stand when Angela Eagle announced her bid, and his claim earlier this week that Mr Corbyn should have been given more time as leader.
“I’ve taken it all on board, understood what they’re saying, and ask them to behave in a decent and responsible way and come together so that we do have an ability to take the fight to the Tories”.
Ms Chapman told BBC Radio 5 Live Mr Corbyn was “totally committed, totally principled, and he’s a workaholic in the nicest sense of the word”.
But, whether he can hold the party together; when his parliamentary group challenged his leadership after the referendum on European Union membership, Mr Corbyn could not master the support of 51 MPs required for his nomination.
Looking to the future, he said: “I will build on the broad policy agreement that stretches across our party, based on a clear anti-austerity agenda”.
Mr Corbyn issued a defiant message before the talks, scheduled for tomorrow, with the current PLP chair John Cryer and chief whip Rosie Winterton.
“It’s really important the Labour Party puts up a strong case in Parliament”.
“We, all of us, have mounted a most incredible campaign, mobilised a lot of people and we’ve actually changed the political discourse in this country”, Corbyn said to cheers from volunteers helping him in central London on the last night of his campaign to retain the leadership of the party.
Mr Mann predicted moderate Labour MPs will now not be able to rid themselves of Mr Corbyn until after the next general election.
Mr Corbyn won last year’s leadership race with 59.5 per cent of the vote – and is widely tipped to win again.
Mr Miliband said the left needed to “renew itself” as it has done during “three previous periods in the wilderness” – in the 1930s, 1950s and 1980s/1990s.
Brown is also urging Labour members not to quit the party and give a free run to the Left.
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The victor of the leadership election will be announced around 11.45am BST this Saturday at Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool.
