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| Owen Smith says as leader he would make Corbyn president of Labour – politics live | Owen Smith says as leader he would make Corbyn president of Labour – politics live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 10.46am BST | |
| 10:46 | |
| Here is more on the Labour/Corbyn court case. (See 10.39am.) These are from the BBC’s Tom Symonds. | |
| Jeremy Corbyn will be represented in legal action re his automatic inclusion on Labour leadership ballot, a judge at the High Court decides | |
| Corbyn’s barrister argued his interests were not same as those of Iain McNicol, the Labour General Sec facing legal action from a donor | |
| Michael Foster’s challenging the decision of the Labour NEC to put Corbyn on the ballot without nominations. Case to be heard next Tues. | |
| 10.39am BST | |
| 10:39 | |
| This is from the Press Association. | |
| #Breaking Jeremy Corbyn wins bid to personally fight legal action to overturn guaranteed leadership ballot place pic.twitter.com/btxaFmJurv | |
| This relates to a court decision about whether Jeremy Corbyn can be a party to the proceedings in a legal case brought by a Labour donor who has gone to court to challenge the party’s decision to allow Corbyn to contest the leadership without having acquired the 51 nominations from MPs and MEPs that Owen Smith needs. There is more on this here, on yesterday’s blog. | |
| 10.30am BST | |
| 10:30 | |
| Theresa May's conversation with Donald Tusk | |
| Theresa May told Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, that the UK would be giving up its final EU presidency (see 9.26am) when the two spoke by phone last night. A Downing Street spokesperson gave this account of the conversation | |
| The president of the European Council Donald Tusk called the prime minister yesterday evening to congratulate her on her appointment. | |
| The prime minister thanked President Tusk for the clear message he has given that the UK remains a full member of the EU until such a time as we leave and the prime minister underlined that she wants to approach the negotiations on the UK’s exit from the European Union in a constructive and pragmatic spirit. | |
| In this context, the prime minister suggested that the UK should relinquish the rotating presidency of the council, currently scheduled for the second half of 2017, noting that we would be prioritising the negotiations to leave the European Union. Donald Tusk welcomed the PM’s swift decision on this issue which would allow the council to put alternative arrangements in place. | |
| Finally, the prime minister explained that we will need to carefully prepare for the negotiations to leave the EU before triggering article 50. Donald Tusk reassured the prime minister that he will help to make this process happen as smoothly as possible. | |
| They concluded by looking forward to a strong working relationship and agreed that they should meet soon in Brussels or London. | |
| 10.14am BST | 10.14am BST |
| 10:14 | 10:14 |
| Smith said the worst thing that happened to him recently was when he went to watch the Wales v Belgium game at the pub. He met someone he had known since childhood who asked why he wanted to be Labour leader. He said he was alarmed by how the reputation of the party had fallen. | Smith said the worst thing that happened to him recently was when he went to watch the Wales v Belgium game at the pub. He met someone he had known since childhood who asked why he wanted to be Labour leader. He said he was alarmed by how the reputation of the party had fallen. |
| And that’s it. | And that’s it. |
| As promised earlier, I will post a summary of Smith’s morning media blitz soon. | As promised earlier, I will post a summary of Smith’s morning media blitz soon. |
| 10.10am BST | 10.10am BST |
| 10:10 | 10:10 |
| Smith said he would be radical as leader. He was on the left of the party, and would supply radical solutions. | Smith said he would be radical as leader. He was on the left of the party, and would supply radical solutions. |
| 10.09am BST | 10.09am BST |
| 10:09 | 10:09 |
| Q: You could split the Labour party? | Q: You could split the Labour party? |
| Smith said he thought the Labour party would be more likely to split if Corbyn won. | Smith said he thought the Labour party would be more likely to split if Corbyn won. |
| That was why Corbyn had to compromise, Smith said. He said he had told him, “compromise, man”. Corbyn could become the Labour party president, he said. | That was why Corbyn had to compromise, Smith said. He said he had told him, “compromise, man”. Corbyn could become the Labour party president, he said. |
| Q: How likely is a split? | Q: How likely is a split? |
| If Labour carries on like this, it will split, Smith said. That is why he is standing, he said. | If Labour carries on like this, it will split, Smith said. That is why he is standing, he said. |
| Smith said he heard there would be only three head-to-head hustings. Smith said he wanted 300. | Smith said he heard there would be only three head-to-head hustings. Smith said he wanted 300. |
| 10.06am BST | 10.06am BST |
| 10:06 | 10:06 |
| Q: Does Labour have a problem with women? | Q: Does Labour have a problem with women? |
| Smith said he thought there had been a problem recently with misogyny and antisemitism. Some women have been subject to appalling abuse, he said. Often these were criminal acts. They needed to be treated with zero tolerance. | Smith said he thought there had been a problem recently with misogyny and antisemitism. Some women have been subject to appalling abuse, he said. Often these were criminal acts. They needed to be treated with zero tolerance. |
| He says Corbyn should have stamped down on this much harder. Some people even think Corbyn has encouraged it, he said. | He says Corbyn should have stamped down on this much harder. Some people even think Corbyn has encouraged it, he said. |
| Q: Do you think that? | Q: Do you think that? |
| Smith said he did not know. But he thought Corybn had to stamp it out. | Smith said he did not know. But he thought Corybn had to stamp it out. |
| 10.04am BST | 10.04am BST |
| 10:04 | 10:04 |
| Q: What have you achieved politically? | Q: What have you achieved politically? |
| Smith said he got the government to U-turn over tax credit cuts and over the cuts to personal independence payments. | Smith said he got the government to U-turn over tax credit cuts and over the cuts to personal independence payments. |
| He said he played a part in getting rid of Iain Duncan Smith. | He said he played a part in getting rid of Iain Duncan Smith. |
| Q: Jeremy Corbyn claims credit for that. | Q: Jeremy Corbyn claims credit for that. |
| Smith said he did not get a lot of guidance from Corbyn on those campaigns. | Smith said he did not get a lot of guidance from Corbyn on those campaigns. |
| He repeated the point about a panel of advisers, saying it would be “an additional shadow cabinet”, giving him advice from the grassroots. | He repeated the point about a panel of advisers, saying it would be “an additional shadow cabinet”, giving him advice from the grassroots. |
| 10.02am BST | 10.02am BST |
| 10:02 | 10:02 |
| Q: Isn’t your candidature a kick in the teeth for Labour members? | Q: Isn’t your candidature a kick in the teeth for Labour members? |
| No, said Smith. He wants a Labour government, not just a protest movement. | No, said Smith. He wants a Labour government, not just a protest movement. |
| He said he was just as radical as Corbyn, but he could turn slogans into solutions. | He said he was just as radical as Corbyn, but he could turn slogans into solutions. |
| He said he would set up a “senate” of advisers to advise him if he were leader of the Labour party. | He said he would set up a “senate” of advisers to advise him if he were leader of the Labour party. |
| Michael Gove said he was sick of experts, Smith said. But Smith said he was not sick of experts. | Michael Gove said he was sick of experts, Smith said. But Smith said he was not sick of experts. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 10.10am BST | at 10.10am BST |
| 9.58am BST | 9.58am BST |
| 09:58 | 09:58 |
| Q: Why did you call yourself “normal”, in what was seen as a jibe at Angela Eagle? | Q: Why did you call yourself “normal”, in what was seen as a jibe at Angela Eagle? |
| Smith said that remark was taken out of context. It was never intended as a comment on Eagle. | Smith said that remark was taken out of context. It was never intended as a comment on Eagle. |
| 9.57am BST | 9.57am BST |
| 09:57 | 09:57 |
| Smith said Britain could not afford not to invest. | Smith said Britain could not afford not to invest. |
| Q: You have been accused a being a flip-flopper. You were a Blairite. Now you are praising Corbyn. | Q: You have been accused a being a flip-flopper. You were a Blairite. Now you are praising Corbyn. |
| Smith said that was wrong. He was a conviction politician. His political awakening came during the miners’ strike. But, as John Prescott said, you need to modernise who you implement your values. | Smith said that was wrong. He was a conviction politician. His political awakening came during the miners’ strike. But, as John Prescott said, you need to modernise who you implement your values. |
| Q: Would you nationalise the steel industry. | Q: Would you nationalise the steel industry. |
| Smith said he would consider that. | Smith said he would consider that. |
| Q: Would you end the charitable status of private schools? | Q: Would you end the charitable status of private schools? |
| Smith said he would look at tha. | Smith said he would look at tha. |
| Q: Would you back Hinkley Point? | Q: Would you back Hinkley Point? |
| Yes, said Smith. | Yes, said Smith. |
| Q: Women-only carriages on trains? (This was an idea vaguely floated by Corbyn last year, but subsequently dropped). | Q: Women-only carriages on trains? (This was an idea vaguely floated by Corbyn last year, but subsequently dropped). |
| Smith said that was a bad idea. | Smith said that was a bad idea. |
| 9.54am BST | 9.54am BST |
| 09:54 | 09:54 |
| Owen Smith's interview on the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire show. | Owen Smith's interview on the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire show. |
| A few minutes ago Owen Smith finished a lengthy interview on BBC News, with Norman Smith and then Victoria Derbyshire. Here are some of the highlights. (I’ll leave out the answers that replicate things he said in his earlier interviews. | A few minutes ago Owen Smith finished a lengthy interview on BBC News, with Norman Smith and then Victoria Derbyshire. Here are some of the highlights. (I’ll leave out the answers that replicate things he said in his earlier interviews. |
| Smith said Jeremy Corbyn had “great Labour values”, and had taught the party to understand its radical roots. | Smith said Jeremy Corbyn had “great Labour values”, and had taught the party to understand its radical roots. |
| Q: So are you just a more plausible, media-savvy Jeremy Corbyn. | Q: So are you just a more plausible, media-savvy Jeremy Corbyn. |
| No, said Smith. He said he was Owen Smith. | No, said Smith. He said he was Owen Smith. |
| He said Corbyn had been great at slogans. Labour needed to be great at solutions. | He said Corbyn had been great at slogans. Labour needed to be great at solutions. |
| He said Labour should be proposing a £200bn fund to invest in infrastructure. | He said Labour should be proposing a £200bn fund to invest in infrastructure. |
| 9.36am BST | 9.36am BST |
| 09:36 | 09:36 |
| Unemployment falls by 54,000 | Unemployment falls by 54,000 |
| Here are the headline unemployment figures. | Here are the headline unemployment figures. |
| And here is the Office for National Statistics bulletin with the full details. | And here is the Office for National Statistics bulletin with the full details. |
| 9.26am BST | 9.26am BST |
| 09:26 | 09:26 |
| UK to give up its presidency of the EU in 2017 | UK to give up its presidency of the EU in 2017 |
| Downing Street has just announced that Theresa May has told Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, that Britain will relinquish its six-month presidency of the EU in the second half of 2017. | Downing Street has just announced that Theresa May has told Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, that Britain will relinquish its six-month presidency of the EU in the second half of 2017. |
| That was expected. The country that has the presidency of the EU gets considerable influence over the items on the agenda for European Council meetings, and the idea of the UK being in charge when it was simultaneously negotiating Brexit always seemed unsustainable. | That was expected. The country that has the presidency of the EU gets considerable influence over the items on the agenda for European Council meetings, and the idea of the UK being in charge when it was simultaneously negotiating Brexit always seemed unsustainable. |
| 9.06am BST | 9.06am BST |
| 09:06 | 09:06 |
| Q: Who said six months ago that Jeremy Corbyn would be taking the party into the election, “end of”. | Q: Who said six months ago that Jeremy Corbyn would be taking the party into the election, “end of”. |
| That was me, says Smith. Corbyn had a stonking majority. He is a great Labour person with convictions. But no one out there thinks Corbyn will win an election. | That was me, says Smith. Corbyn had a stonking majority. He is a great Labour person with convictions. But no one out there thinks Corbyn will win an election. |
| Q: What if he wins? | Q: What if he wins? |
| Smith says he will still be Labour. It is Labour or nothing for me, he says. He says he would serve Labour from the backbenches. | Smith says he will still be Labour. It is Labour or nothing for me, he says. He says he would serve Labour from the backbenches. |
| He says people should vote for him in order to unite Labour. | He says people should vote for him in order to unite Labour. |
| Q: It has been reported that, when you were working as a journalist, you were asked to get a comment from the police and you called 999. | Q: It has been reported that, when you were working as a journalist, you were asked to get a comment from the police and you called 999. |
| Smith says that is embarrassing. He was a cub researcher. He does not think he called 999, but he did call a police hotline, he says. | Smith says that is embarrassing. He was a cub researcher. He does not think he called 999, but he did call a police hotline, he says. |
| And that’s it. | And that’s it. |
| Smith has given a series of interviews this morning. Claire has already covered some of them, but I will pull together a summary soon. | Smith has given a series of interviews this morning. Claire has already covered some of them, but I will pull together a summary soon. |
| 9.03am BST | 9.03am BST |
| 09:03 | 09:03 |
| Q: When you worked for Pfizer, you said you believed in choice. Does that mean you believe in part-privatisation of the NHS? | Q: When you worked for Pfizer, you said you believed in choice. Does that mean you believe in part-privatisation of the NHS? |
| No, says Smith. He says he was brought up on tales of the founding of the NHS. | No, says Smith. He says he was brought up on tales of the founding of the NHS. |
| He says the question refers to a press released about a report commissioned before he started working for Pfizer. He says the then Labour government was using private providers to clear waiting lists. The current Tory government has taken the use of the private sector further. | He says the question refers to a press released about a report commissioned before he started working for Pfizer. He says the then Labour government was using private providers to clear waiting lists. The current Tory government has taken the use of the private sector further. |
| Q: It says here choice is a good thing. Was is it good then, but bad now? | Q: It says here choice is a good thing. Was is it good then, but bad now? |
| Smith says that was referring to limited use of the private sector to clear backlogs. | Smith says that was referring to limited use of the private sector to clear backlogs. |
| But the last Labour government did not realise how employing private provision in the NHS could be exploited by the Tories. | But the last Labour government did not realise how employing private provision in the NHS could be exploited by the Tories. |
| 9.00am BST | 9.00am BST |
| 09:00 | 09:00 |
| Owen Smith's LBC interview | Owen Smith's LBC interview |
| Owen Smith, the Labour leadership contender, is on LBC now. | Owen Smith, the Labour leadership contender, is on LBC now. |
| He says the Labour party is being seen as a bit of a rabble now. | He says the Labour party is being seen as a bit of a rabble now. |
| Owen Smith: "We have a Labour Party in crisis. Everyone knows that. People look at us and see a bit of a rabble." | Owen Smith: "We have a Labour Party in crisis. Everyone knows that. People look at us and see a bit of a rabble." |
| Q: You said at your launch Labour needed to be pro-prosperity. What does that mean? | Q: You said at your launch Labour needed to be pro-prosperity. What does that mean? |
| Smith says it means there needs to be a plan for investment. | Smith says it means there needs to be a plan for investment. |
| Anyone who has worked in business, “like me”, knows you have to invest, he says. | Anyone who has worked in business, “like me”, knows you have to invest, he says. |
| Q: How would you afford that? | Q: How would you afford that? |
| Smith says the government should issue gilts. | Smith says the government should issue gilts. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 9.07am BST | at 9.07am BST |
| 8.48am BST | 8.48am BST |
| 08:48 | 08:48 |
| Andrew Sparrow | Andrew Sparrow |
| Good morning. I’m Andrew Sparrow, taking over from Claire. | Good morning. I’m Andrew Sparrow, taking over from Claire. |
| Oliver Letwin, who left the cabinet last week after six years as David Cameron’s chief policy coordinator, has announced that he will stand down as an MP at the next election, his local paper, the Dorset Echo, reports. He wants to spend more time with his family. | Oliver Letwin, who left the cabinet last week after six years as David Cameron’s chief policy coordinator, has announced that he will stand down as an MP at the next election, his local paper, the Dorset Echo, reports. He wants to spend more time with his family. |