Jeremy Corbyn insists Labour music festival will be 'huge success' despite poor ticket sales
2 min read
Jeremy Corbyn has insisted that a Labour music festival will be a "huge success" despite slow ticket sales.
PoliticsHome revealed yesterday that organisers of the Labour LIVE event, dubbed 'Jezfest', fear the party could suffer major financial losses of up to £1m.
The event takes place on 16 June at the White Hart Lane recreation ground in Tottenham, north London, which has a capacity of around 20,000.
But by the end of last week, barely 2,000 tickets - which are £35 full price - have been sold.
Bands already confirmed to appear include the Magic Numbers and Reverend and the Makers, while Mr Corbyn himself, John McDonnell, and left-wing columnist Owen Jones are scheduled to speak.
Labour MPs have been urged to use their Twitter and Facebook accounts to drum up support for the event in a bid to boost sales.
An email sent to them all says: "MPs are asked to help promote the festival – including amongst their own CLP members - by sharing the below tweets or facebook posts on their social media accounts.
"We’re (sic) written a selection of tweets for you to send out from your CLP/MP account. Pick one or two that you like best."
But a spokesman for Mr Corbyn said: "I'm sure it will be a huge success. It's a festival of music, politics and culture and I'm confident it will do what it's intended to do."
Asked about suggestions that trade unions could bail out the event by buying up unsold tickets, the spokesman said: "I don't think that's going to be an issue."
Labour sources insist that the total number of tickets sold is higher than 2,000, but are remaining tight-lipped about the precise figure.
A Labour party spokesperson said: "Labour LIVE will be a festival of music, art and politics. It is a fun-packed day out for the whole family and we encourage everyone to take part.
"Ticket sales have been positive, and we are offering free tickets to under-14s. We look forward to hosting Labour LIVE with our supporters and everyone from the local community."
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