This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2016/aug/11/labour-leadership-debate-jeremy-corbyn-owen-smith-gateshead-live
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Labour leadership debate: Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Smith face off in Gateshead – live | Labour leadership debate: Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Smith face off in Gateshead – live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 8.17pm BST | |
| 20:17 | |
| What actions will you take to restore Labour's economic credibilities? | |
| Corbyn begins with tax avoidance and tax evasion. He says that a Labour party must show it will chase down tax avoidance, learn the lessons from the Panama Papers leak, and fund proper public services. | |
| Smith says he wants to reintroduce the 50p tax rate, he would block cuts to inheritance and capital gains tax. | |
| He repeats his previous pledge for a wealth tax, he says it would be a surcharge on unearned income of people earning, which will fund the NHS. | |
| 8.13pm BST | |
| 20:13 | |
| Lighting update! The dimness is gone and the full lights are back. | |
| Lights fully back on so #LabourLeadership candidates are no longer having their identities protected at hustings. pic.twitter.com/0yMwzioqR9 | |
| 8.12pm BST | |
| 20:12 | |
| How will each candidate make the world tomorrow better than yesterday? | |
| A question from a young person... | |
| Smith says the first thing to tackle is the Tories’ idea of a living wage. He says he would introduce a “proper” living wage of £8.25 an hour, rising to more than £10 over a five year period, and make sure that it applied to under 25s as well. | |
| Corbyn says it is not true that the world is a worse place than decades ago, but that redistribution of wealth is the problem. | |
| The world is an infinitely richer place. Technology has moved us on immeasurably, what hasn’t moved on is the policy of redistribution. | |
| I want to see an economic strategy that redistributes wealth... it’s a question of making sure the next generation is better off, not worse off. | |
| Updated | |
| at 8.13pm BST | |
| 8.08pm BST | |
| 20:08 | |
| Corbyn is being asked about free schools and academies. He says he would not close them, but bring them back into local authority control. | |
| Smith says too that no schools should be closed down but said the government had sought to “subvert” Labour’s academy programme, because the Conservatives “don’t believe in comprehensives.” | |
| 8.03pm BST | |
| 20:03 | |
| Smith - Mayoral elections should have had at least one all women shortlist | |
| Both are asked if they would support an all-woman shortlist in the regional mayoral selection process. | |
| Corbyn says potentially, but says that was for the local parties to decide. | |
| Smith says he disagrees. “The party leader should have insist on one of those [mayoralties], at least, being an all woman shortlist.” | |
| We do need to have that positive discrimination or we don’t get women elected, he says. | |
| Updated | |
| at 8.12pm BST | |
| 8.00pm BST | |
| 20:00 | |
| How will you ensure a more gender equal Labour party? | |
| Corbyn says he believes female candidates should be “selected where we can” but he said there should be broader policies in the party for greater gender equality across society, citing Stem careers for more girls. | |
| Smith says the Labour party “has not been good enough” but says it should be proud of its record in recruiting female MPs and balanced cabinets. | |
| Truthfully we have to do a lot more. The culture of our party has not been encouraging enough, it is tough to be a woman in politics and we have to encourage and nurture more. | |
| Updated | |
| at 8.02pm BST | |
| 7.57pm BST | |
| 19:57 | |
| What is your plan to win back voters from Ukip especially those whose primary concerns are about immigration? | |
| Smith says the problem is in communities where there has been “long-term, systemic underinvestment”. | |
| He says the secret is a socialist programme that invests in those communities, in school places, healthcare and then underlying concerns about immigration would be eroded. | |
| Corbyn says the undercutting of wages by the exploitation of migrant workers has to be dealt with. He says a migrant impact fund should be reintroduced, which could be partly funded by the EU until we leave. But Labour also has to take on Ukip, he says. | |
| In reality, the blame culture from Ukip cannot deliver one house, one nurse, one doctor, one school or anything else. | |
| Updated | |
| at 7.59pm BST | |
| 7.54pm BST | |
| 19:54 | |
| Corbyn says the Labour party lost the last election despite pledges to continue austerity and the public sector pay freeze. | |
| We have forced a lot of U-turns. We could be forcing a lot more and I hope we will do when the leadership election is over. | |
| Updated | |
| at 7.56pm BST | |
| 7.52pm BST | |
| 19:52 | |
| Bitter clashes between Corbyn and Smith over the polls and electability. Corbyn says Labour was ahead in the polls before the resignations of shadow cabinet members, that it has won every byelection and has increased majorities. | |
| Smith says that isn’t true. | |
| We have to be honest with ourselves, comrades, we lost 18 seats in the council election, Cameron made 300 gains. | |
| We are at 26% in the polls, the lowest since 1982 when I was 12 years old. That’s the reality in this country. Only a third of Labour voters think you would make a better PM than Theresa May. That’s the reality. | |
| Corbyn says that the Labour party and Labour movement will put together a manifesto that will show it can deliver for all of those people and all communities. | |
| Smith says he resigned “because you cannot lead us back to power, you could not fulfil the basic task ... of working with your colleagues. You undermined colleagues at every turn.” | |
| He says as shadow work and pensions secretary he had one meeting with Corbyn in nine months, despite the fight on PIP and tax credits and the eventual Tory U-turns. | |
| Updated | |
| at 7.55pm BST | |
| 7.45pm BST | |
| 19:45 | |
| What music do you listen to on your iPod? | |
| This is quite a change of tone! Corbyn says he was writing to Beethoven’s 5th last night. | |
| He goes on, enthusiastically: | |
| What we have to ensure all our events as a party are accompanied by music, by dance, by art and by culture. And have a society accompanied by dance, music, art and culture. | |
| Smith says he keeps getting accused of being a Blairite, so he won’t say: “Things can only get better.” But he says his favourite band at the moment is the Vaccines, and he thinks his theme tune should be their song I’m No Teenage Icon. | |
| It’d be ironic obviously, Jeremy. | |
| Owen Smith says he wants to encourage more idealism. “Some of those young people who have been enthused are going to be let down, because unless we can translate that into power, we won’t be able to get that world they want.” | |
| This is an open goal for Corbyn. | |
| Owen, we’ve recruited 300,000 people to the party ... | |
| Updated | |
| at 7.53pm BST | |
| 7.41pm BST | 7.41pm BST |
| 19:41 | 19:41 |
| What policies and proposals will you put in place to address Britain's obligations on climate change while addressing the current crisis in energy supply? | What policies and proposals will you put in place to address Britain's obligations on climate change while addressing the current crisis in energy supply? |
| The irony of this question while the hustings is still dimly lit has not been lost on the crowd. | The irony of this question while the hustings is still dimly lit has not been lost on the crowd. |
| Smith says that he would consider a national renewables company, harnessing wind and wave power. “That’s the kind of big idea we need for the big challenges we face.” | Smith says that he would consider a national renewables company, harnessing wind and wave power. “That’s the kind of big idea we need for the big challenges we face.” |
| Corbyn says we have to “encourage everyone to think about innovation”. He cites houses in his constituency that are heated by excess energy from the London underground. | |
| “We also have to recognise the need for an environmental approach which is also about sustaining our biodiversity and ecosystem,” he says. | “We also have to recognise the need for an environmental approach which is also about sustaining our biodiversity and ecosystem,” he says. |
| Updated | |
| at 7.51pm BST | |
| 7.38pm BST | 7.38pm BST |
| 19:38 | 19:38 |
| Power cut in the building | Power cut in the building |
| The hustings is plunged into darkness. Sophy Ridge quips: “Maybe it is time to talk about the energy supply?” | |
| Members of the audience are taking out there phones to use as torches ... | |
| #Labourdebate plunges into darkness. `I'm the tall one' says @OwenSmith_MP. `Let ther be light says @jeremycorbyn. And still there was none. | #Labourdebate plunges into darkness. `I'm the tall one' says @OwenSmith_MP. `Let ther be light says @jeremycorbyn. And still there was none. |
| Power cut at the Corbyn-Smith hustings - pitch black, now emergency mood lighting. Current question - energy policy. #LabourLeadership | Power cut at the Corbyn-Smith hustings - pitch black, now emergency mood lighting. Current question - energy policy. #LabourLeadership |
| Updated | |
| at 7.53pm BST | |
| 7.34pm BST | 7.34pm BST |
| 19:34 | 19:34 |
| Both are asked about Trident. Both have made their views on this well known before: Corbyn says he is opposed to the renewal because they are “weapons of mass destruction” and the renewal has handed the government a blank cheque; Smith says he wants to see a nuclear free world, but he says he does not believe in unilateral disarmament. | Both are asked about Trident. Both have made their views on this well known before: Corbyn says he is opposed to the renewal because they are “weapons of mass destruction” and the renewal has handed the government a blank cheque; Smith says he wants to see a nuclear free world, but he says he does not believe in unilateral disarmament. |
| “My history tells me that isn’t going to work, that unfortunately we will need to retain them.” He says he will vote to renew “with a heavy heart”. | “My history tells me that isn’t going to work, that unfortunately we will need to retain them.” He says he will vote to renew “with a heavy heart”. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 7.45pm BST | |
| 7.32pm BST | 7.32pm BST |
| 19:32 | 19:32 |
| What would you do to keep Britain safe? | What would you do to keep Britain safe? |
| Corbyn says we must have a foreign policy “based on human rights, international law, so we become known as a force that is determined to make sure the universal declaration is enforced in all places”. | Corbyn says we must have a foreign policy “based on human rights, international law, so we become known as a force that is determined to make sure the universal declaration is enforced in all places”. |
| He gets a huge cheer when he says he opposed the Iraq War, saying foreign policy has consequences. | He gets a huge cheer when he says he opposed the Iraq War, saying foreign policy has consequences. |
| Smith says police investment is important, and commits to the 2% of GDP on defence spending that is recommended by Nato. But he says more investment also needs to go into community relations. | Smith says police investment is important, and commits to the 2% of GDP on defence spending that is recommended by Nato. But he says more investment also needs to go into community relations. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 7.36pm BST | at 7.36pm BST |