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Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to address Progress conference | Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to address Progress conference |
(35 minutes later) | |
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is to address the annual conference of Blairite group Progress on Saturday. | Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is to address the annual conference of Blairite group Progress on Saturday. |
Progress has been described by shadow chancellor John McDonnell as a "right wing conservative" group who had never accepted Mr Corbyn as Labour leader. | Progress has been described by shadow chancellor John McDonnell as a "right wing conservative" group who had never accepted Mr Corbyn as Labour leader. |
Mr Corbyn will address its members, which include some of Labour's best-known MPs, at their conference in central London. | Mr Corbyn will address its members, which include some of Labour's best-known MPs, at their conference in central London. |
Labour's leader in Scotland, Kezia Dugdale, is also due to speak. | Labour's leader in Scotland, Kezia Dugdale, is also due to speak. |
Speaking in January, after several resignations from the Labour front bench, Mr McDonnell said: "They do all come from a narrow right wing clique within the Labour Party, based around the organisation Progress largely. I don't think they've ever accepted Jeremy's mandate really." | Speaking in January, after several resignations from the Labour front bench, Mr McDonnell said: "They do all come from a narrow right wing clique within the Labour Party, based around the organisation Progress largely. I don't think they've ever accepted Jeremy's mandate really." |
He added that the group had "a right wing conservative agenda" and there were some within it "who are quite hard right". | |
Progress, which was founded by Lord Mandelson to promote New Labour ideas, backed heavily-defeated Blairite candidate Liz Kendall in last year's Labour leadership contest. Ms Kendall is among the other speakers on Saturday. | |
Ed Miliband, Gordon Brown and Tony Blair all gave speeches at Progress annual conferences when they were party leader. Mr Corbyn is not thought to have attended the event before. | |
BBC political correspondent Iain Watson said it was interesting that Mr Corbyn was meeting some of his fiercest critics - some of whom have been talking privately about trying to get rid of him as leader. | |
It could be seen as a sign that he is reaching out to his critics in the party rather than retreating into his comfort zone, he added. | |
But although the party is not briefing the contents of his speech, he is likely to repeat his tough message that MPs should not be giving a running commentary on his leadership. | |
Progress has borrowed Mr Corbyn's "straight talking, honest politics" slogan for its 2016 conference in a further sign it is offering an olive branch to the Labour leader. |