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Jeremy Corbyn: Labour membership will determine policy - not me Jeremy Corbyn: Labour membership will determine policy, not me
(35 minutes later)
Policy will be made by Labour members and not the leader, shadow cabinet, or parliamentary party, Jeremy Corbyn has said in a debate with his three leadership rivals organised by the Guardian. Policy will be made by Labour members and not the leader, shadow cabinet, or parliamentary party, Jeremy Corbyn has said in a debate with his three leadership rivals organised by the Guardian. The frontrunner has previously made clear that his policy proposals are only suggestions that would have to be agreed by colleagues, but this is his clearest indication yet that the role of MPs and the shadow cabinet would be diminished.
The frontrunner has previously made clear that his policy proposals are only suggestions that would have to be agreed by colleagues but this is his clearest indication the role of MPs and the shadow cabinet would be sidelined. “I don’t think we can go on having policy made by the leader, shadow cabinet, or parliamentary Labour party. It’s got to go much wider. Party members need to be more enfranchised. Whoever is elected will have a mandate from a large membership.”
“I don’t think we can go on having policy made by the leader, shadow cabinet, or parliamentary Labour party. It’s got to go much wider. Party members need to be more enfranchised.”
He added: “Whoever is elected will have a mandate from a large membership.”
Getting the Labour party members to agree policy is one way in which Corbyn could get around the difficult problem of his lack of support in the parliamentary party, in which he has the support of just 20 MPs.Getting the Labour party members to agree policy is one way in which Corbyn could get around the difficult problem of his lack of support in the parliamentary party, in which he has the support of just 20 MPs.
Corbyn, who has rebelled against his party more than 500 times in his career, said MPs would not be “corralled” by whips into voting the same way as the leadership under a more consensual style of management.
Related: Labour leadership hustings: Guardian panellists' verdictRelated: Labour leadership hustings: Guardian panellists' verdict
However, in recent days, the MP for Islington North appears to have been hardening his stance against any MPs who might be tempted to launch a coup against him or resist policies they do not like, such as scepticism about Nato and opposition to Trident. Corbyn, who has rebelled against his party more than 500 times in his career, said MPs would not be “corralled” by whips into voting the same way as the leadership under a more consensual style of management. However, in recent days, the MP for Islington North appears to have been hardening his stance against any MPs who might be tempted to launch a coup against him or resist policies they do not like, such as scepticism about Nato and opposition to Trident.
He previously told the Independent: “I will absolutely use our supporters to push our agenda up to the parliamentary party and get them to follow that. We have to encourage the parliamentary Labour party to be part of that process and not to stand in the way of democratising the party and empowering the party members. It is going to be an interesting discussion.”He previously told the Independent: “I will absolutely use our supporters to push our agenda up to the parliamentary party and get them to follow that. We have to encourage the parliamentary Labour party to be part of that process and not to stand in the way of democratising the party and empowering the party members. It is going to be an interesting discussion.”
Despite speculation he would return to shadow cabinet elections, Corbyn has now confirmed he would pick his own team, which would ensure loyalists are close to him. He has, however, dismissed suggestions he would want to removed centrist MPs though deselections. After speculation that he would return to shadow cabinet elections, Corbyn has now confirmed that he would pick his own team, which would ensure that loyalists are close to him. He has, however, dismissed suggestions that he would want to remove centrist MPs though deselections.
Corbyn made the comments at a hustings hosted by the Guardian at which the candidates also clashed on the economic record of the Blair and Brown era, and Labour’s approach to Europe.Corbyn made the comments at a hustings hosted by the Guardian at which the candidates also clashed on the economic record of the Blair and Brown era, and Labour’s approach to Europe.
Yvette Cooper positioned herself as the only leadership contender prepared to stand up for the last Labour government’s financial management. Yvette Cooper positioned herself as the only leadership contender prepared to stand up for the last Labour government’s financial management. In a tense exchange, Cooper attacked the narrative that the party had been responsible for the financial crisis while in government.
In a tense exchange, Cooper attacked the narrative that the party had been responsible for the financial crisis while in government.
“The facts are that we had a small deficit just before the financial crisis and ideally that would have been a surplus,” she told the audience at the Emmanuel Centre in London. “Here’s the difference between us on this. I don’t think we were too weak to deal with the financial crisis … We were strong enough to cut VAT, strong enough to support the car industry with a car scrappage scheme. Strong enough to stop banks going bust.”“The facts are that we had a small deficit just before the financial crisis and ideally that would have been a surplus,” she told the audience at the Emmanuel Centre in London. “Here’s the difference between us on this. I don’t think we were too weak to deal with the financial crisis … We were strong enough to cut VAT, strong enough to support the car industry with a car scrappage scheme. Strong enough to stop banks going bust.”
Hitting back, Andy Burnham said: “I would say Yvette is half right. The spending did not cause the crash, but the point is – were we in a strong enough position to deal with it when it came? That is the point, isn’t it? And I think unless you’re honest about the past, the public won’t give you credit for the vast majority you got right.”Hitting back, Andy Burnham said: “I would say Yvette is half right. The spending did not cause the crash, but the point is – were we in a strong enough position to deal with it when it came? That is the point, isn’t it? And I think unless you’re honest about the past, the public won’t give you credit for the vast majority you got right.”
The question of how far the candidates should renounce the policies of New Labour has become one of the central themes of the contest. The question of how far the candidates should renounce the policies of New Labour has become one of the central themes of the contest. Corbyn has said he would apologise for the Iraq war and address private finance initiative debts of hospitals. At the hustings, he attacked the economic policy of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown for failing to “ensure protection of growth”.
Corbyn has said he would apologise for the Iraq war and address private finance initiative debts of hospitals. At the hustings, he attacked the economic policy of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown for failing to “ensure protection of growth”. “During the period of the last Labour government, we did some great things,” he said. “But … we allowed inequality to continue and in some ways get worse. We did very little about ensuring protection of growth … We have a grossly imbalanced economy with 80% in the service sector. We have to make strong decisions. The money we’ve poured into the banks – what’s happened to it?”
“During the period of the last Labour government we did some great things,” he said. “But … we allowed inequality to continue and in some ways get worse. We did very little about ensuring protection of growth … We have a grossly imbalanced economy with 80% in the service sector. We have to make strong decisions. The money we’ve poured into the banks, what’s happened to it?” The candidates also differed on the EU, with Corbyn the only one not to rule out campaigning for Britain to leave. He said he could not see Labour campaigning for a Brexit “at the present time” but warned that the party should realise that Europe had changed and had acted in a “brutal” way towards Greece.
The candidates also differed on the EU, with Corbyn the only one not to rule out campaigning for Britain to leave. “We seem to be in danger of saying it doesn’t matter what Cameron negotiates, we’re going to give him a blank cheque come the time,” he said. “Why aren’t we in there now making those demands about workers’ conditions and workers’ rights across Europe, which he’s … ready to negotiate away?”
He said he could not see Labour campaigning for a Brexit “at the present time” but warned that the party should realise that Europe had changed and had acted in a “brutal” way towards Greece.
“We seem to be in danger of saying it doesn’t matter what Cameron negotiates, we’re going to give him a blank cheque come the time,” he said. “Why aren’t we in there now making those demands about workers’ conditions and workers’ rights across Europe, which he’s … ready to negotiate away.”
Liz Kendall made a passionate plea for Labour to make a positive pro-European argument. “If we allow this issue of our role in Europe to be defined by the issue of whether Polish workers get tax credits, we will have utterly failed,” she said.Liz Kendall made a passionate plea for Labour to make a positive pro-European argument. “If we allow this issue of our role in Europe to be defined by the issue of whether Polish workers get tax credits, we will have utterly failed,” she said.
Corbyn’s cautious views on Europe, as well as his anti-austerity policies, have alarmed party grandees about his success during the campaign. Corbyn’s cautious views on Europe, as well as his anti-austerity policies, have alarmed senior figures in the party. Earlier, Peter Mandelson warned about a Corbyn leadership and called for a fightback among modernisers. It is the closest that any senior anti-Corbyn figure has come to hinting at a coup should he become leader.
Earlier, Peter Mandelson warned about a Corbyn leadership and called for a fightback among modernisers. It is the closest that any senior anti-Corbyn figure has come to hinting at the need for a coup should he become leader. Writing in the FT, he said it could be a “sad and possibly final chapter in the British Labour party’s history” if Corbyn wins. He also conceded that New Labour had made mistakes in allowing “critics within the party to create a caricature of modernisation as a sectarian creed alien to the party’s values and history”.
Writing in the FT, he said it could be a “sad and possibly final chapter in the British Labour party’s history” if Corbyn wins. Mandelson wrote: “[The] fightback must be led by a new, younger generation of Labour reformers.” He also bemoaned the New Labour divisions between Blairites, who espoused greater public service reform, and Brownites, who were more focused on the economy, which “prevented Gordon Brown from taking forward the New Labour reform agenda as Tony Blair hoped he would after his own departure as prime minister”.
He also conceded that New Labour had made mistakes in allowing “critics within the party to create a caricature of modernisation as a sectarian creed alien to the party’s values and history”.
Mandelson wrote: “[The] fightback must be led by a new, younger generation of Labour reformers.”
He also bemoaned the New Labour divisions between Blairites, who espoused greater public service reform, and Brownites, who were more focused on the economy, which “prevented Gordon Brown from taking forward the New Labour reform agenda as Tony Blair hoped he would after his own departure as prime minister”.