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/2016/oct/06/owen-smith-rules-out-return-to-shadow-cabinet

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Owen Smith rules out return to shadow cabinet Owen Smith rules out return to shadow cabinet
(35 minutes later)
The defeated Labour leadership challenger, Owen Smith, has ruled out returning to the shadow cabinet as Jeremy Corbyn continues work on reshuffling his frontbench.The defeated Labour leadership challenger, Owen Smith, has ruled out returning to the shadow cabinet as Jeremy Corbyn continues work on reshuffling his frontbench.
Smith, who attracted just over 38% of the vote in this summer’s contest, said he had not talked to Corbyn since the result was announced 12 days ago at the Labour conference.Smith, who attracted just over 38% of the vote in this summer’s contest, said he had not talked to Corbyn since the result was announced 12 days ago at the Labour conference.
Speaking to the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme in his first interview since the result, Smith said: “Given what I’ve said about where we have gone with Jeremy and how we are not making the inroads into the Tories and into the public popularity, that we need to in order to form a Labour government, then I can’t serve alongside him.” Speaking to the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme in his first interview since the result, Smith said: “Given what I’ve said about where we have gone with Jeremy and how we are not making the inroads into the Tories and into the public popularity that we need to in order to form a Labour government, then I can’t serve alongside him.”
His comments come as Corbyn prepares to reshuffle his shadow cabinet in a task made all the more challenging by the number of senior figures in the party who have said they will not serve under his leadership. Corbyn is preparing to reshuffle his shadow cabinet in a task made all the more challenging by the number of senior figures in the party who have said they will not serve under him. Andy Burnham, shadow home secretary, said last month he planned to step away from national politics to focus on his campaign to become mayor of Manchester. Kelvin Hopkins, shadow culture secretary, also said he wanted to return to the backbenches.
Last month the shadow home secretary, Andy Burnham, announced his plans to step away from national politics to focus on his campaign to become mayor of Manchester. The shadow culture secretary, Kelvin Hopkins, also said he wanted to return to the backbenches. Many other prominent Labour figures have said they will not serve unless Corbyn accepts some form of election to the shadow cabinet.
Many other prominent Labour figures have said they won’t serve unless Corbyn accepts some form of election to the shadow cabinet.
Smith said: “There are lots of people who can serve on the frontbench with distinction for the Labour party and I’m sure they will do that. It is now time for us to unite and get back to fighting the Tories.”Smith said: “There are lots of people who can serve on the frontbench with distinction for the Labour party and I’m sure they will do that. It is now time for us to unite and get back to fighting the Tories.”
He conceded that Theresa May had a point when she highlighted the hostility of the bickering in the Labour party, by branding it the “nasty party” in her speech to the Tory party conference on Wednesday. He conceded that Theresa May had a point when she highlighted the hostility of the bickering within Labour, by branding it the “nasty party” in her speech to the Tory conference on Wednesday.
Smith said: “She is right that we have been nasty to each other a lot recently. But there’s a big difference between a lot of nasty debate within the Labour party and where the Tories have been for the last six years ... which is being nasty to the British public – introducing austerity, cutting back on the livelihoods of working people.”Smith said: “She is right that we have been nasty to each other a lot recently. But there’s a big difference between a lot of nasty debate within the Labour party and where the Tories have been for the last six years ... which is being nasty to the British public – introducing austerity, cutting back on the livelihoods of working people.”
Smith said it made sense for May to try to appeal to the centre ground.Smith said it made sense for May to try to appeal to the centre ground.
He said: “The truth is that politics is fought and won in the centre ground and Labour needs to be a centre-left party. I don’t think at the moment we are being perceived as that in the country. That was the core argument I made throughout this summer.”He said: “The truth is that politics is fought and won in the centre ground and Labour needs to be a centre-left party. I don’t think at the moment we are being perceived as that in the country. That was the core argument I made throughout this summer.”
He added: “We are consistently behind in the polls, but the truth when Jeremy Corbyn, or I, or Ed Miliband talk about markets failing and the need to have state intervention, that’s condemned as old fashioned leftist statism ... when the Tories talk about it’s a modern industrial strategy.”He added: “We are consistently behind in the polls, but the truth when Jeremy Corbyn, or I, or Ed Miliband talk about markets failing and the need to have state intervention, that’s condemned as old fashioned leftist statism ... when the Tories talk about it’s a modern industrial strategy.”