Unite gives away a thousand tickets to Labour music festival after poor sales
2 min read
Unite has stepped in to buy a thousand tickets for Labour’s troubled music festival Labour Live following disappointing sales.
The union announced that it will be giving away 1,000 tickets to the event – dubbed 'Jezfest' – which would have cost £35 at full price.
As part of the offer, it also promised to provide free travel for those who needed it.
The move follows reports of poor ticket sales, prompting fears 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. However, only 2,500 tickets have reportedly been sold so far.
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.
In an effort to boost uptake, Labour MPs have also been urged to use their Twitter and Facebook accounts to drum up support for the event.
They were told in an email: "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."
In a message sent out to Labour members, Unite said: “If you are quick you have the chance to book a free ticket for the event.
“Unite have 1,000 tickets to give away on a first-come first-served basis… Contact your local Labour party regional office to find out about the free travel services we’re providing.”
A Labour spokesperson responded: “Labour Live is one of the ways we’re continuing to open up politics to a wider audience and spread Labour’s message about how we can build a society that works for the many, not the few.
“We welcome the support of the wider labour movement.”
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