Jeremy Corbyn acknowledged the “enormous amount” of work Labour has in the years ahead at a victory party for his team of volunteers.
Speaking at a party after his remarkable victory in the Labour leadership election, he urged the 16,000 people who had signed up to campaign to help the party grow into a force that can defeat the Government’s efforts to scrap the Human Rights Act, weaken the trade unions and reform and make deep cuts to the welfare bill.
Mr Corbyn echoed his campaign agent John McDonnell, who said the party must unite to “bring this government down”.
But the new Labour leader warned of the “complicated” and “challenging” task ahead.
Standing on a chair in the Sanctuary pub in Westminster, Mr Corbyn told his team of volunteers: “Celebrate, today but stay together with that genius of hope and optimism that can bring about fantastic changes which will improve the lives of everyone in our society and help to improve everyone in our world. Together we are very, very strong.”
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He urged them to continue “uniting people in a common endeavour to bring about the kind of decent, just society we want; challenging the idea that austerity caused by a banking failure should be paid for by the poorest and most vulnerable in society and standing up for our liberties for opposing the trade union bill, by opposing the welfare reform bill, by defending the Human Rights Act and the Equalities Act and many of the huge measures that Labour has achieved. We have an enormous amount we’re going to have to do together.”
