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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2016/aug/17/third-labour-leadership-debate-live-jeremy-corbyn-owen-smith-victoria-derbyshire
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| Corbyn forced to defend his record on tackling bullying within Labour – live | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 9.43am BST | |
| 09:43 | |
| One woman in the audience says she has been a member for three years. The debate in the party is so toxic, she says, she would feel “safer going to Conservative party conference as a Labour supporter than going to Labour conference as an Owen Smith supporter”. | |
| She said her attendance at a Young Labour conference had been fraught with angry debates, with one person walking out in tears. | |
| Corbyn says abuse on social media is unacceptable, and that people forget posts on Twitter and Facebook are there for all time and for all to see. He also says that he attends large numbers of Labour events where there is intelligent and respectful debate. | |
| He denies the atmosphere is toxic, but the audience is asked if it is and there is a resounding “yes.” | |
| Smith says there is a narrative that Corbyn is the only pure socialist in the party. “I’ve never considered myself a Blairite, I’ve always been a socialist, but the way I’ve been portrayed...” | |
| Updated | |
| at 9.44am BST | |
| 9.34am BST | |
| 09:34 | |
| One audience members points to the case of Thangam Debbonaire, the MP who says she was mistakenly given a job which was then taken away while she had cancer treatment, as well as social media abuse of MPs. | |
| Corbyn says that abuse will be dealt with by the party, and new rules will soon be in place to tackle it. | |
| The questioner says that Corbyn always responds by saying he’d been abused too and Derbyshire raises his Observer interview where Corbyn said that he “ignores abuse”. | |
| Corbyn denies he said that others should do that, he says he ignores it when it happens to him. | |
| Smith said that he would go straight for expulsions of abusive members. “Lots of my female colleagues feel it wasn’t taken seriously enough. We’re the Labour party and we’re speaking on national television about anti-semitism.” | |
| Smith says there are shades of hard left opinion in the UK which have “drifted into anti-semitic abuse because of concerns about Israel”. He says that people feel “that at very best we have been insensitive to those concerns... for us to mired in a debate about anti-semitism is shaming to us all.” | |
| Updated | |
| at 9.38am BST | |
| 9.34am BST | |
| 09:34 | |
| How will you unite the membership and MPs? | |
| Smith says that as leader, he will stress there is “more that unites us than divides us.” He says that there is not such a great chasm - but there is laughter in the audience at that remark. Smith says this is about leadership qualities, first and foremost. | |
| Corbyn says that the he was elected leader of the party and appointed a shadow cabinet with a broad church of opinions. He says he would do the same again, and remind Labour MPs of their responsibilities to work together on education, health and austerity. | |
| “I was faced with a period of organised and orchestrated resignations,” he says. He says if elected again he will reach out again, because there are a lot of issues they agree on. There were a lot of groans about the idea of orchestrated resignations. | |
| Updated | |
| at 9.38am BST | |
| 9.22am BST | |
| 09:22 | |
| Corbyn offers to share his allotment with Smith | |
| We have some common ground between the two candidates - both are allotment lovers. | |
| Smith says he gave his up last year when his wife started back at work as a school teacher. “I’m just as fond as Jeremy of growing beans.” | |
| Corbyn then offered to share his allotment with his fellow green-fingered colleague. Allotment plots are genuinely extremely in demand so this is a kind offer. | |
| Owen Smith looks frozen in fear as Jeremy Corbyn suggests they could share an allotment. | |
| Allotment lovers, how will you choose? They BOTH have one #VictoriaLIVE #DiggingForBritain | |
| Updated | |
| at 9.26am BST | |
| 9.18am BST | |
| 09:18 | |
| Peter Gates, who said he works at the University of Nottingham, said he is supported Corbyn because he is “a throughly decent bloke who doesn’t deserve to be treated in the way he has been treated.” | |
| Steve, a solicitor who says he is a long-standing member, says he is voting for Smith. “Labour exists to get things done. If we don’t win power, we won’t get things done. We are in danger of becoming a narrow church.” | |
| He also says he is passionately pro-Europe and says he was very disappointed in Corbyn’s campaign during the referendum. “We should fight for our place in Europe, it is too important.” | |
| Laura, a new member from Lincoln, said she feels she is being pigeon-holed about joining. “I feel my membership and values are questioned,” she said. | |
| Another member says that she is not sure either can lead the party. “You are here to represent the electorate and the whole thing seems to have degenerated into a playground squabble. I hope one of you will convince me you are capable of taking on the Conservatives.” | |
| 9.12am BST | |
| 09:12 | |
| In a sentence, how confident are you that you are going to win? | |
| Corbyn says that he is confident after the support from local Labour parties and says he is touring the country going to both Labour supporting areas and safe Tory seats. | |
| Smith says a lot of the constituency votes were “narrow” and says he is confident he will persuade people that Labour needs to “get ready for government” by changing the leader. | |
| 9.05am BST | 9.05am BST |
| 09:05 | 09:05 |
| The audiences at the two hustings so far have appeared to be more pro-Corbyn. | The audiences at the two hustings so far have appeared to be more pro-Corbyn. |
| This being the BBC, there’s been an effort to evenly split the 100 strong audience, between Corbyn supporters, Smith supporters, undecided Labour members and floating voters. | This being the BBC, there’s been an effort to evenly split the 100 strong audience, between Corbyn supporters, Smith supporters, undecided Labour members and floating voters. |
| Audience members so far have declared support for both men, but at least one said they planned to vote Conservative for the first time because they found neither an inspiring choice. | Audience members so far have declared support for both men, but at least one said they planned to vote Conservative for the first time because they found neither an inspiring choice. |
| That was something Victoria Derbyshire said would be explored later in the debate. Both the candidates are here and neither are wearing a tie. | |
| The debate is live on the BBC News Channel, which can be watched online here. | The debate is live on the BBC News Channel, which can be watched online here. |
| Updated | |
| at 9.10am BST | |
| 8.51am BST | 8.51am BST |
| 08:51 | 08:51 |
| As we prepare to hear from the two candidates, it’s been mixed news for both of them at the start of the week. | As we prepare to hear from the two candidates, it’s been mixed news for both of them at the start of the week. |
| Jeremy Corbyn swept the board of nominations from the constituency Labour parties, taking 84% of endorsements from the local parties who chose to nominate. | Jeremy Corbyn swept the board of nominations from the constituency Labour parties, taking 84% of endorsements from the local parties who chose to nominate. |
| Constituency nominations have predicted the winner of a leadership contest among members every year since 1992, though Owen Smith supporters have pointed out that the membership has soared and also is likely to have shifted over the course of the last 12 months. | Constituency nominations have predicted the winner of a leadership contest among members every year since 1992, though Owen Smith supporters have pointed out that the membership has soared and also is likely to have shifted over the course of the last 12 months. |
| However, among the general public, a BMG poll last night gave Smith a 24-point lead over Corbyn on the question of who would make the better prime minister. | However, among the general public, a BMG poll last night gave Smith a 24-point lead over Corbyn on the question of who would make the better prime minister. |
| The poll for the Evening Standard found 58% of the public saying Smith would be a better party leader, 16 points ahead of Corbyn. When it came to who would make the best prime minister, 62% said Smith with 38% saying the current Labour leader. | The poll for the Evening Standard found 58% of the public saying Smith would be a better party leader, 16 points ahead of Corbyn. When it came to who would make the best prime minister, 62% said Smith with 38% saying the current Labour leader. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 9.04am BST | at 9.04am BST |
| 8.34am BST | 8.34am BST |
| 08:34 | 08:34 |
| Labour leadership debate - live | Labour leadership debate - live |
| Good morning, we’re covering the third Labour leadership debate which is on the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire show from 9am, from Nottingham. | Good morning, we’re covering the third Labour leadership debate which is on the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire show from 9am, from Nottingham. |
| Here’s the scene in the studio this morning where a studio audience are waiting for Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Smith. | Here’s the scene in the studio this morning where a studio audience are waiting for Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Smith. |
| Awaiting these two gentlemen for our Labour leadership debate starting at 9am @BBCNews & online #VictoriaLIVE pic.twitter.com/0A98wJZtUA | Awaiting these two gentlemen for our Labour leadership debate starting at 9am @BBCNews & online #VictoriaLIVE pic.twitter.com/0A98wJZtUA |
| Last week in Gateshead, the pair clashed over Europe, where Smith accused the Labour leader of being “10 out of 10” for leaving once the result of the Brexit vote was known. | Last week in Gateshead, the pair clashed over Europe, where Smith accused the Labour leader of being “10 out of 10” for leaving once the result of the Brexit vote was known. |
| Smith has spent the week campaigning on the NHS, pledging to raise the NHS budget by 4% each year under a Labour government led by him. | Smith has spent the week campaigning on the NHS, pledging to raise the NHS budget by 4% each year under a Labour government led by him. |
| Corbyn focussed a day of campaigning on transport on Tuesday, reiterating his commitment to bringing the railways back into public ownership and extend public control over bus networks, allowing local authorities to have franchising power and establish municipal bus companies. | Corbyn focussed a day of campaigning on transport on Tuesday, reiterating his commitment to bringing the railways back into public ownership and extend public control over bus networks, allowing local authorities to have franchising power and establish municipal bus companies. |
| I’ll try to monitor comments below but you can also find me on Twitter @jessicaelgot. | I’ll try to monitor comments below but you can also find me on Twitter @jessicaelgot. |