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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2016/jul/21/jeremy-corbyn-campaign-labour-leader-theresa-may-paris-politics-live
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| Corbyn holds out 'hand of friendship' to opponents, urging them to get behind the party - live | Corbyn holds out 'hand of friendship' to opponents, urging them to get behind the party - live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 2.07pm BST | |
| 14:07 | |
| At his campaign launch, in response to a question about Owen Smith, Jeremy Corbyn said it was wrong for medical research to be “farmed out to big pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer”. (See 1.01pm.) The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry has responded with a statement suggesting it thinks Corbyn does not understand how medical research works. It said: | |
| The pharmaceutical industry invests more than £88bn a year into research and development in order to bring new medicines and vaccines to patients to fight disease. These new medicines include treatments for diabetes, cancer and cures for Hepatitis C, transforming the lives of patients and their families. In the UK this equates to £4.1bn per year of investment in R&D, with the [Medical Research Council] also contributing £770m and research charities £1.3bn. Clearly the taxpayer could not replace the world-wide investment made by industry in researching new medicines. Collaboration between industry researchers, academics and clinicians in the development of medicines for patient benefit is hugely important. | |
| 2.01pm BST | |
| 14:01 | |
| A spokesman for the Owen Smith campaign has questioned Jeremy Corbyn’s account of the circumstances leading up to Smith’s resignation from the shadow cabinet. (See 1.23pm.) The spokesman said that Smith went to see Corbyn with Lisa Nandy, John Healey, Nia Griffith and Kate Green when they were all still shadow cabinet members. He went on: | |
| They had hoped to leave that meeting with the confidence to continue to support the leadership in bringing the Labour party together from within the shadow cabinet. During the course of the meeting it became apparent that this would not be possible. | |
| At the end of the meeting it was clear that Jeremy Corbyn would not and could not respond to their concerns with a concrete plan and commitment to unite the party. It was evident they were not happy with Jeremy’s response and proposals. Immediately following this they resigned. | |
| 1.54pm BST | |
| 13:54 | |
| Jessica Elgot | |
| Ringing Donald Trump to congratulate him on his Republican nomination will not be Theresa May’s highest priority, it appears. | |
| The prime minister’s spokeswoman told journalists at the daily lobby briefing that her new boss was continuing to take calls from world leaders offering their congratulations on her new role, eight days into the job. | |
| But asked if she planned to make a congratulatory phone call to Trump, her spokeswoman said May was prioritising receiving the calls, rather than making them herself. | |
| “At the moment it’s the prime minister taking the calls from a number of people around the world, as she has been appointed,” her spokeswoman said. “In terms of engagement with the presidential candidates, the PM’s intention is to follow the approach of many before her, to wait to see their schedules and plans.” | |
| 1.23pm BST | 1.23pm BST |
| 13:23 | 13:23 |
| Corbyn accuses Smith of betrayal | Corbyn accuses Smith of betrayal |
| Jeremy Corbyn stepped up his attack on Owen Smith in an interview with Sky News after his campaign launch. Going further than what he said in his Q&A earlier (see 1.01pm), he accused Smith of betrayal and mocked Smith’s decision to offer to make Corbyn Labour president if he won the leadership. Corbyn said: | Jeremy Corbyn stepped up his attack on Owen Smith in an interview with Sky News after his campaign launch. Going further than what he said in his Q&A earlier (see 1.01pm), he accused Smith of betrayal and mocked Smith’s decision to offer to make Corbyn Labour president if he won the leadership. Corbyn said: |
| Owen Smith was shadow work and pensions secretary. I appointed him last year to that position. We worked very well together in opposing the cuts in working tax credits. Two weeks ago he came to see me to assure me of his support and then, mysteriously, a few days later decided the support was no longer there and is now offering me a position if he were elected leader that does not exist and is not in his gift to offer anyway. That’s not the kind of politics that I want to be involved in. | Owen Smith was shadow work and pensions secretary. I appointed him last year to that position. We worked very well together in opposing the cuts in working tax credits. Two weeks ago he came to see me to assure me of his support and then, mysteriously, a few days later decided the support was no longer there and is now offering me a position if he were elected leader that does not exist and is not in his gift to offer anyway. That’s not the kind of politics that I want to be involved in. |
| 1.01pm BST | 1.01pm BST |
| 13:01 | 13:01 |
| Corbyn's campaign launch - Summary | Corbyn's campaign launch - Summary |
| Here are the main points from Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign launch. | Here are the main points from Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign launch. |
| If this parliament runs to the full term, then the new boundaries will be the basis on which the elections take place and in that case there would be a full selection process in every constituency. But the sitting MP for any part or any substantial part of the new boundary would have the opportunity to put their name forward so there will be a full and open selection process for every constituency Labour party in the UK. | If this parliament runs to the full term, then the new boundaries will be the basis on which the elections take place and in that case there would be a full selection process in every constituency. But the sitting MP for any part or any substantial part of the new boundary would have the opportunity to put their name forward so there will be a full and open selection process for every constituency Labour party in the UK. |
| I hope Owen will fully agree with me that our NHS should be free at the point of use, should be run by publicly employed workers working for the NHS not for private contractors, and medical research shouldn’t be farmed out to big pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer and others but should be funded through the Medical Research Council. | I hope Owen will fully agree with me that our NHS should be free at the point of use, should be run by publicly employed workers working for the NHS not for private contractors, and medical research shouldn’t be farmed out to big pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer and others but should be funded through the Medical Research Council. |
| Newsnight’s Chris Cook wonders if Corbyn really means what this implies. | Newsnight’s Chris Cook wonders if Corbyn really means what this implies. |
| Does @jeremycorbyn want to nationalise drug companies, set up public competitor or bar private research within NHS? https://t.co/0ewkNT7ZBb | Does @jeremycorbyn want to nationalise drug companies, set up public competitor or bar private research within NHS? https://t.co/0ewkNT7ZBb |
| Owen Smith was in the shadow cabinet until two weeks ago and he came to see me to say he was very happy in the shadow cabinet and wanted to stay there and then left the meeting and resigned which was a slightly odd thing to do. But of course he is very welcome to come back and I hope he would because that has got to be the right way of doing things. | Owen Smith was in the shadow cabinet until two weeks ago and he came to see me to say he was very happy in the shadow cabinet and wanted to stay there and then left the meeting and resigned which was a slightly odd thing to do. But of course he is very welcome to come back and I hope he would because that has got to be the right way of doing things. |
| I have an ability to very conveniently forget some of the unpleasant things that are said, because it’s not worth it. | I have an ability to very conveniently forget some of the unpleasant things that are said, because it’s not worth it. |
| This party is going places. This party is strong. This party is capable of winning a general election and if I am leader of the party I will be that prime minister. | This party is going places. This party is strong. This party is capable of winning a general election and if I am leader of the party I will be that prime minister. |
| And he insisted that the polls “will change, will improve” for Labour. | And he insisted that the polls “will change, will improve” for Labour. |
| I say to Labour MPs quite simply this - I’ve been in Parliament a very long time. I’ve seen lots of leaders. I’ve seen them come and I’ve seen them go. There is a huge amount of talent on the Labour benches. We are part of but not the entirety of the Labour party and the Labour movement. And I hope that those that may not agree with me politically, may not even like me personally - I find that hard to believe, but there are some people apparently who don’t like me - I hold out the hand of friendship to them all, because come September when this election is done and dusted, there will still be a Tory Government in office, there will still be grotesque levels of inequality in our society, there will still be whole parts of this country that are left-behind Britain. | I say to Labour MPs quite simply this - I’ve been in Parliament a very long time. I’ve seen lots of leaders. I’ve seen them come and I’ve seen them go. There is a huge amount of talent on the Labour benches. We are part of but not the entirety of the Labour party and the Labour movement. And I hope that those that may not agree with me politically, may not even like me personally - I find that hard to believe, but there are some people apparently who don’t like me - I hold out the hand of friendship to them all, because come September when this election is done and dusted, there will still be a Tory Government in office, there will still be grotesque levels of inequality in our society, there will still be whole parts of this country that are left-behind Britain. |
| It’s the job, it’s the duty, it’s the responsibility of every Labour MP to get behind the party at that point and put it there against the Tories about the different, fairer kind of Britain that we can build together. | It’s the job, it’s the duty, it’s the responsibility of every Labour MP to get behind the party at that point and put it there against the Tories about the different, fairer kind of Britain that we can build together. |
| I appeal to them to work together to put that case forward, because we owe it to the people that founded this party, that support this party, the half-million who give their money and their time to help this party survive and strengthen and grow. I hope they will recognise that and come on board. | I appeal to them to work together to put that case forward, because we owe it to the people that founded this party, that support this party, the half-million who give their money and their time to help this party survive and strengthen and grow. I hope they will recognise that and come on board. |
| 12.15pm BST | 12.15pm BST |
| 12:15 | 12:15 |
| These are from Huffington Post’s Paul Waugh. | These are from Huffington Post’s Paul Waugh. |
| Early days but I'm told sampling of 183k registered supporters so far showing btwn 60%/40% and 64/35 split for anti JC/pro JC views | Early days but I'm told sampling of 183k registered supporters so far showing btwn 60%/40% and 64/35 split for anti JC/pro JC views |
| Apologies I garbled tweet on early sample of 183k. It's 60/40 pro Corbyn/anti Corbyn, not other way round. | Apologies I garbled tweet on early sample of 183k. It's 60/40 pro Corbyn/anti Corbyn, not other way round. |
| And here is Robert Harris, the writer and former political journalist, commenting on these figures. | And here is Robert Harris, the writer and former political journalist, commenting on these figures. |
| Even if the 180k registered supporters really are split 60-40 (& how can we know?) that still means 72k have paid to vote Corbyn out | Even if the 180k registered supporters really are split 60-40 (& how can we know?) that still means 72k have paid to vote Corbyn out |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 12.46pm BST | at 12.46pm BST |
| 12.10pm BST | 12.10pm BST |
| 12:10 | 12:10 |
| Here is some more reaction to Jeremy Corbyn’s launch from journalists. | Here is some more reaction to Jeremy Corbyn’s launch from journalists. |
| From the former Times political editor Philip Webster | From the former Times political editor Philip Webster |
| Corbyn obv enjoying standing to remain Labour leader more than boring old business of being Labour leader. Guaranteed adulation | Corbyn obv enjoying standing to remain Labour leader more than boring old business of being Labour leader. Guaranteed adulation |
| From the Guardian’s Peter Walker | From the Guardian’s Peter Walker |
| Overall that was a fluent and confident performance by Corbyn. But it all hinges on whether people believe he can overcome such bad polls. | Overall that was a fluent and confident performance by Corbyn. But it all hinges on whether people believe he can overcome such bad polls. |
| From Channel 4 News’ Michael Crick | From Channel 4 News’ Michael Crick |
| Jeremy Corbyn was in an unusually good mood this morning, joking & laughing with us reporters. He even praised a rather weak joke I made | Jeremy Corbyn was in an unusually good mood this morning, joking & laughing with us reporters. He even praised a rather weak joke I made |
| From Sky’s Tamara Cohen | From Sky’s Tamara Cohen |
| Corbyn was all guns blazing this morning, claiming if he wins leadership again he will be Prime Minister and Lab MPs will have to back him | Corbyn was all guns blazing this morning, claiming if he wins leadership again he will be Prime Minister and Lab MPs will have to back him |
| I will post a summary of the news lines from the event soon. | I will post a summary of the news lines from the event soon. |
| 11.51am BST | 11.51am BST |
| 11:51 | 11:51 |
| Corbyn's campaign launch - Verdict | Corbyn's campaign launch - Verdict |
| Jeremy Corbyn has rarely sounded more confident. Unlike many other MPs, he has little time or respect for Westminster journalists (in some cases, understandably) and some of his previous encounters with the press have been awkward, to put it mildly. But today he was relaxed and good-humoured and, above all, confident. He gave the impression that he believes that he will win this leadership contest easily. And it is not hard to see why. (See 10.28am.) | Jeremy Corbyn has rarely sounded more confident. Unlike many other MPs, he has little time or respect for Westminster journalists (in some cases, understandably) and some of his previous encounters with the press have been awkward, to put it mildly. But today he was relaxed and good-humoured and, above all, confident. He gave the impression that he believes that he will win this leadership contest easily. And it is not hard to see why. (See 10.28am.) |
| His speech contained a defence of his record over the last 10 months, a broad statement about tackling injustice and the modern equivalents of Beveridge’s five “giant evils” and a policy announcement about pay audits. Corbyn has had relatively little new to say on policy since he was elected leader (which is odd, because in the leadership contest last summer he produced a dozen or so quite substantial policy paper - will they get recycled?) and so in that sense the speech was refreshing. But it was still relatively threadbare. By comparison, Theresa May’s one proper leadership campaign speech, delivered last Monday, contained much more new thinking. | His speech contained a defence of his record over the last 10 months, a broad statement about tackling injustice and the modern equivalents of Beveridge’s five “giant evils” and a policy announcement about pay audits. Corbyn has had relatively little new to say on policy since he was elected leader (which is odd, because in the leadership contest last summer he produced a dozen or so quite substantial policy paper - will they get recycled?) and so in that sense the speech was refreshing. But it was still relatively threadbare. By comparison, Theresa May’s one proper leadership campaign speech, delivered last Monday, contained much more new thinking. |
| What was more telling, though, was what Corbyn did not say. He did not mention Owen Smith, his opponent, at all in his speech, in line with the usual reluctance of incumbents to talk up the status of their challengers. But he also had absolutely nothing to say about the circumstance that have led to 75% of Labour MPs declaring they have no confidence in him. Corbyn’s allies, like John McDonnell, insist that these MPs are opposing Corbyn because they cannot support his leftwing politics. The MPs themselves largely insist that he has lost their support because of his incompetence. (See, for example, Lilian Greenwood’s recent speech - perhaps the most detailed and judicious account of Corbyn’s failings from a member of the shadow cabinet.) But as for what Corbyn thinks? We don’t really know. He refused to address this issue in his speech, and was not much more forthcoming in the Q&A. To his critics this must have come over as the ultimate complacency. | What was more telling, though, was what Corbyn did not say. He did not mention Owen Smith, his opponent, at all in his speech, in line with the usual reluctance of incumbents to talk up the status of their challengers. But he also had absolutely nothing to say about the circumstance that have led to 75% of Labour MPs declaring they have no confidence in him. Corbyn’s allies, like John McDonnell, insist that these MPs are opposing Corbyn because they cannot support his leftwing politics. The MPs themselves largely insist that he has lost their support because of his incompetence. (See, for example, Lilian Greenwood’s recent speech - perhaps the most detailed and judicious account of Corbyn’s failings from a member of the shadow cabinet.) But as for what Corbyn thinks? We don’t really know. He refused to address this issue in his speech, and was not much more forthcoming in the Q&A. To his critics this must have come over as the ultimate complacency. |
| But Corbyn just did not seem to care. He knows that his support amongst members remains high, and he does not seem to rate Smith as a threat. Untroubled by self-doubt, he looked like someone expecting the contest to be a walkover. | But Corbyn just did not seem to care. He knows that his support amongst members remains high, and he does not seem to rate Smith as a threat. Untroubled by self-doubt, he looked like someone expecting the contest to be a walkover. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 12.00pm BST | at 12.00pm BST |
| 11.09am BST | 11.09am BST |
| 11:09 | 11:09 |
| Q: [From my colleague Peter Walker] The polls suggest people do not think Labour will win the election. Are they wrong? | Q: [From my colleague Peter Walker] The polls suggest people do not think Labour will win the election. Are they wrong? |
| Corbyn says he thinks the polls will change. The Guardian was predicting Labour would lose many seats in the south in the local elections, he says. It did not. He says after the leadership contest people will see that Labour is offering a better alternative. He says the government cuts are most severe in the places where poverty is highest. | Corbyn says he thinks the polls will change. The Guardian was predicting Labour would lose many seats in the south in the local elections, he says. It did not. He says after the leadership contest people will see that Labour is offering a better alternative. He says the government cuts are most severe in the places where poverty is highest. |
| And that’s it. | And that’s it. |
| I will post a verdict shortly. | I will post a verdict shortly. |
| 11.07am BST | 11.07am BST |
| 11:07 | 11:07 |
| Corbyn says Owen Smith was in the shadow cabinet until two weeks ago. He came to see Corbyn, said he was happy there, but then promptly resigned. He hopes he comes back. | Corbyn says Owen Smith was in the shadow cabinet until two weeks ago. He came to see Corbyn, said he was happy there, but then promptly resigned. He hopes he comes back. |
| Corbyn says there is a system for the reselection of MPs. There will be a boundary review. So new selection processes will have to take place. But sitting MPs will be able to put their names forward. | Corbyn says there is a system for the reselection of MPs. There will be a boundary review. So new selection processes will have to take place. But sitting MPs will be able to put their names forward. |
| But there are issues surrounding the boundary review, he says. The electorate has increased since the cut-off date used to set the new constituency boundaries. The Electoral Commission should look again at this. He says young people and black and ethnic minority people are disproportionately underrepresented on the electoral register. | But there are issues surrounding the boundary review, he says. The electorate has increased since the cut-off date used to set the new constituency boundaries. The Electoral Commission should look again at this. He says young people and black and ethnic minority people are disproportionately underrepresented on the electoral register. |
| 11.04am BST | 11.04am BST |
| 11:04 | 11:04 |
| Kate Osamor calls the BBC’s Norman Smith. Smith is not there. Corbyn jokes that it cannot be a proper event without Smith. | Kate Osamor calls the BBC’s Norman Smith. Smith is not there. Corbyn jokes that it cannot be a proper event without Smith. |
| Q: Did you agree with what Diane Abbott said about Owen Smith on Today this morning? | Q: Did you agree with what Diane Abbott said about Owen Smith on Today this morning? |
| Corbyn says he does not listen to Today every day. But he followed this on social media. He hopes Smith agrees that the NHS should be run by publicly-paid staff. And medical research should be dominated the the medical research agency, not by private companies. He hopes Smith will come on board to the idea of the NHS being run by publicly-employed people. | Corbyn says he does not listen to Today every day. But he followed this on social media. He hopes Smith agrees that the NHS should be run by publicly-paid staff. And medical research should be dominated the the medical research agency, not by private companies. He hopes Smith will come on board to the idea of the NHS being run by publicly-employed people. |
| 11.02am BST | 11.02am BST |
| 11:02 | 11:02 |
| Q: It is not that your MPs don’t like it; it’s that they don’t think you will be prime minister. | Q: It is not that your MPs don’t like it; it’s that they don’t think you will be prime minister. |
| Corbyn says he wishes they were on board. He wishes they contributed to the economy debate yesterday. Do MPs think ill of him? He does not think so. Do they disagree with him? They might. But he hopes they get on board. | Corbyn says he wishes they were on board. He wishes they contributed to the economy debate yesterday. Do MPs think ill of him? He does not think so. Do they disagree with him? They might. But he hopes they get on board. |
| Why is he so frightening, he asks. | Why is he so frightening, he asks. |
| He says Labour is “going places”. It is strong. It is capable of winning an election. And if he is leader, he will be that prime minister. | He says Labour is “going places”. It is strong. It is capable of winning an election. And if he is leader, he will be that prime minister. |