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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Letters

Denis Healey’s Corbyn moment

Denis Healey: little support from MPs in 1976
Denis Healey: little support from MPs in 1976. Photograph: Robert Cooper/Rex Shutterstock

Several of the obituaries and profiles of Denis Healey said he was “the best leader the Labour party never had”. It is worth recalling that when he stood for the Labour leadership in 1976, following Harold Wilson’s resignation, he got just 30 MPs’ votes, and only 38 on the second ballot. About the same as Jeremy Corbyn got last month.
John Boaler
Calne, Wiltshire

• Don’t worry about the result, the England rugby team sang the national anthem very well and, as recent criticisms show, that is the only thing which really matters.
Michael Leigh
London

• An English hat-trick? Failure to qualify from their group in three world cups in a row: soccer, cricket and rugby. Thank God for Lewis Hamilton.
Edwin Lerner
London

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