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| Sadiq Khan: it's down to Labour to make case for staying in EU | Sadiq Khan: it's down to Labour to make case for staying in EU |
| (3 months later) | |
| Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has called for Labour politicians to raise their game to win the EU referendum for remain, saying Tory divisions meant it was down to Labour to get the vote out. | Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has called for Labour politicians to raise their game to win the EU referendum for remain, saying Tory divisions meant it was down to Labour to get the vote out. |
| “Every day we see another example of why David Cameron and the Tories simply cannot win this referendum as they lose credibility with the public,” Khan said. “They are simply too riven by division. It now falls to us, and it’s time for us to step up.” | “Every day we see another example of why David Cameron and the Tories simply cannot win this referendum as they lose credibility with the public,” Khan said. “They are simply too riven by division. It now falls to us, and it’s time for us to step up.” |
| Khan is to take on Boris Johnson, his predecessor as London mayor, in the biggest EU referendum debate at Wembley arena in a fortnight’s time. | Khan is to take on Boris Johnson, his predecessor as London mayor, in the biggest EU referendum debate at Wembley arena in a fortnight’s time. |
| Between then and now, Labour had to be more visible, the mayor said. “Jeremy, Harriet, Alan, Yvette, the whole shadow cabinet, and every Labour MP, councillor, member and supporter in Britain – the responsibility is ours. We don’t want to look back in two weeks’ time and think – did we do enough?” | Between then and now, Labour had to be more visible, the mayor said. “Jeremy, Harriet, Alan, Yvette, the whole shadow cabinet, and every Labour MP, councillor, member and supporter in Britain – the responsibility is ours. We don’t want to look back in two weeks’ time and think – did we do enough?” |
| After his speech at London’s shard, and flanked by Alan Johnson, Yvette Cooper and Harriet Harman, he told supporters: “I think it’s up to to us now to persuade Labour supporters to come out and vote.” He denied that the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who did not attend, was doing too little to make the case for the EU. | After his speech at London’s shard, and flanked by Alan Johnson, Yvette Cooper and Harriet Harman, he told supporters: “I think it’s up to to us now to persuade Labour supporters to come out and vote.” He denied that the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who did not attend, was doing too little to make the case for the EU. |
| “Jeremy’s got a very busy diary and we’re working our socks off,” said Khan, who was named by a YouGov survey of Londoners on Wednesday as the “most trusted figure” to tell the truth on the EU. | “Jeremy’s got a very busy diary and we’re working our socks off,” said Khan, who was named by a YouGov survey of Londoners on Wednesday as the “most trusted figure” to tell the truth on the EU. |
| “Our call today is to Labour MPs, councillors, members, trade union members to do your bit, to persuade your friends and family that we’re better of as members of the EU. From my experience, in the recent past, the best way to get people to turn out is to enthuse and excite people.” | “Our call today is to Labour MPs, councillors, members, trade union members to do your bit, to persuade your friends and family that we’re better of as members of the EU. From my experience, in the recent past, the best way to get people to turn out is to enthuse and excite people.” |
| Alan Johnson, who heads the Labour In For Britain campaign, hinted that the party’s campaign had been slow to attract attention. Almost half of Labour voters wrongly believed the party was either split or backing Brexit, or said they did not know the party’s stance, according to a poll in the Times this week. “The problem is, when people saw blue-on-blue stuff constantly, maybe we then needed to do more big rallies to get the media interested, I think we’ve done that now,” he said, adding that Corbyn was committed to the cause. | Alan Johnson, who heads the Labour In For Britain campaign, hinted that the party’s campaign had been slow to attract attention. Almost half of Labour voters wrongly believed the party was either split or backing Brexit, or said they did not know the party’s stance, according to a poll in the Times this week. “The problem is, when people saw blue-on-blue stuff constantly, maybe we then needed to do more big rallies to get the media interested, I think we’ve done that now,” he said, adding that Corbyn was committed to the cause. |
| Corbyn “does a lot of events which are below the media radar”, Johnson said. “He says the EU is the best framework for the future success of this country, it’s not perfect. He is not the only one who has changed his mind since 1975. Labour was split in ‘75 and it’s united now. | Corbyn “does a lot of events which are below the media radar”, Johnson said. “He says the EU is the best framework for the future success of this country, it’s not perfect. He is not the only one who has changed his mind since 1975. Labour was split in ‘75 and it’s united now. |
| “Disunity is news, not unity, so we’ve had to fight to get the airtime. I guarantee by the time we get to polling day, there will not be many who don’t know where Labour stands.” Johnson said Labour volunteers were concentrated now in safe Labour seats to ensure turnout. “This is every vote counts, it’s a different challenge for us,” he said. | “Disunity is news, not unity, so we’ve had to fight to get the airtime. I guarantee by the time we get to polling day, there will not be many who don’t know where Labour stands.” Johnson said Labour volunteers were concentrated now in safe Labour seats to ensure turnout. “This is every vote counts, it’s a different challenge for us,” he said. |
| A handful of Eurosceptics in the party “always had their own quaint view”, Johnson said, but Corbyn’s mind was genuinely changed on the issue. “They are longstanding Eurosceptics, [Corbyn is] longstanding but now switched. Jeremy is an interesting character who has been on this journey.” | A handful of Eurosceptics in the party “always had their own quaint view”, Johnson said, but Corbyn’s mind was genuinely changed on the issue. “They are longstanding Eurosceptics, [Corbyn is] longstanding but now switched. Jeremy is an interesting character who has been on this journey.” |
| Yvette Cooper, Labour’s former shadow home secretary, who spoke at the event to encourage more young voters to register before the new extended deadline, said Corbyn would not privately vote leave. “He has never been reluctant to tell people his views, whatever they may be. He is not known for keeping them private, so I think this is mischief-making.” she said. | Yvette Cooper, Labour’s former shadow home secretary, who spoke at the event to encourage more young voters to register before the new extended deadline, said Corbyn would not privately vote leave. “He has never been reluctant to tell people his views, whatever they may be. He is not known for keeping them private, so I think this is mischief-making.” she said. |
| In contrast, Cooper said, the leave campaign were setting out to deliberately mislead, directly accusing Boris Johnson of lying about the EU in order to advance his own career. Johnson and the justice secretary, Michael Gove, were “deliberately telling lies” about Turkey’s accession to the EU, Cooper said. | In contrast, Cooper said, the leave campaign were setting out to deliberately mislead, directly accusing Boris Johnson of lying about the EU in order to advance his own career. Johnson and the justice secretary, Michael Gove, were “deliberately telling lies” about Turkey’s accession to the EU, Cooper said. |
| “They know Cyprus would veto, they know Greece would veto it, they know they don’t fulfil the criteria, they are not stupid, but they are deliberately misleading and manipulating the facts, deliberately telling lies. I don’t know how they live with themselves,” she said. | “They know Cyprus would veto, they know Greece would veto it, they know they don’t fulfil the criteria, they are not stupid, but they are deliberately misleading and manipulating the facts, deliberately telling lies. I don’t know how they live with themselves,” she said. |
| Johnson, also cited by polls as one of the most trusted figures by the public on the EU, would lose his reputation eventually, Cooper said. | Johnson, also cited by polls as one of the most trusted figures by the public on the EU, would lose his reputation eventually, Cooper said. |
| “Watch what happens over time to Boris Johnson’s reputation... the way he ignores the truth, and think he can have any kind of authority,” she said. | “Watch what happens over time to Boris Johnson’s reputation... the way he ignores the truth, and think he can have any kind of authority,” she said. |
| “How could you have someone like that as a prime minister? Someone who is happy to rip up the facts and talk up complete fiction for his own personal interests. In the end, people will see through that.” | “How could you have someone like that as a prime minister? Someone who is happy to rip up the facts and talk up complete fiction for his own personal interests. In the end, people will see through that.” |