Jeremy Corbyn says Labour 'ready to govern' as he urges party unity
5 min read
Jeremy Corbyn today declared that Labour was ready to run Britain as he called on his warring party to unite and take on the Conservatives.
The Labour leader used his speech to his party’s conference to insist they are “ready” to enter government whenever the next election takes place.
In a direct pitch to voters, Mr Corbyn said Labour had “a radical plan to rebuild and transform our country”.
But he insisted they could only do it if the party’s various factions came together to train their fire on the Tories.
He said: “Where the Tories have divided and ruled, we will unite and govern.
“We represent the new common sense of our time. And we are ready to deliver on it. “We must speak for the people to whom Theresa May promised so much but has delivered so little.
“And we must take our message to every town, city and village. United and ready to win, ready to govern as we were in 1945, 1964 and 1997.
“So that when we meet this time next year let it be as a Labour government - investing in Britain after years of austerity and neglect and bringing our country together after a decade of division.”
To a rousing ovation, Mr Corbyn added: “Let every constituency, every community know Labour is ready.
“Confident in our ideas, clear in our plans, committed to rebuild Britain.”
Speaking at the end of a conference which has once again highlighted Labour’s splits on Brexit and anti-Semitism, the Labour leader pleaded with members to put their differences behind them.
In particular, he appeared to take aim at online trolls who throw abuse at Labour supporters who do not show loyalty to him.
“Our movement has achieved nothing when divided,” he said.
“The only winners have been the rich and the party of the rich: the Conservatives. “Real unity is based on the freedom to disagree and debate and then come together around democratic decisions, as we have done this week.
“So we need to foster a much greater culture of tolerance. An end to abuse, online and in person.
“We must learn to listen a bit more, and shout a lot less. To focus on what unites us.
“To accept losing a vote, while maintaining the right to pick up the debate again. We are on a journey together and can only complete it together.”
ANTI-SEMITISM
Mr Corbyn devoted a large section of his 59-minute long speech to the anti-Semitism row which dogged Labour throughout the summer.
But he once again stopped short of apologising for his own actions, or for the party’s failure to properly tackle the issue.
He acknowledged that the row had “caused immense hurt and anxiety in the Jewish community and great dismay in the Labour Party”.
Mr Corbyn said he wanted to “draw a line under” the issue and, in a direct message to Jewish voters, he said: “This party, this movement, will always be implacable campaigners against antisemitism and racism in all its forms. We are your ally.
“And the next Labour government will guarantee whatever support necessary to ensure the security of Jewish community centres and places of worship, as we will for any other community experiencing hateful behaviour and physical attacks.
“We will work with Jewish communities to eradicate anti-Semitism, both from our party and wider society.
“And with your help I will fight for that with every breath I possess.”
'OLD WAY ISN'T WORKING'
In a speech which was largely free of new policy announcements, Mr Corbyn did confirm plans to expand free childcare to all two to four-year-olds, and create 410,000 new posts in a “green jobs revolution”.
Pitching for the votes of Leave-voting working class communities left behind by the aftermath of the financial crash, Mr Corbyn said Labour now represented the “new majority” sick of business as usual.
He said: “People in this country know that the old way of running things isn’t working any more. And unless we offer radical solutions, others will fill the gap with the politics of blame and division.
“That’s why Labour speaks for the new majority, why last year we won the biggest increase in the Labour vote since 1945, and why Labour’s ideas have caught ‘the mood of our time’.
“And conference, it isn’t me saying that – it’s a former Conservative Treasury minister, Lord O’Neill. I’ve never sought to capture the mood of a Tory minister before, but let me say to his lordship: ‘you’re welcome, come and join us in the new political mainstream’.”
BREXIT NO-DEAL 'A NATIONAL DISASTER'
On Brexit, Mr Corbyn confirmed that Labour is all-but certain to vote against any deal that Theresa May brings back to the House of Commons later this year.
But in a move which is likely to anger Labour members campaigning for a so-called ‘People’s Vote’, he failed to say the word ‘referendum’ despite party policy now being in favour of calling one if there is no general election.
He said: “As it stands, Labour will vote against the Chequers plan or whatever is left of it and oppose leaving the EU with no deal.
“And it is inconceivable that we should crash out of Europe with no deal - that would be a national disaster.
“That is why if Parliament votes down a Tory deal or the government fails to reach any deal at all we would press for a general election. Failing that, all options are on the table.”
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