Thank you for following our coverage of today’s Labour leadership hustings in Liverpool.
Diane Abbott’s take on the hustings.
So Richard Burgon gets the most applause of anyone at the Liverpool deputy leadership hustings for his thoughtful response on the anti-semitism issue @RichardBurgon #LabourLeader pic.twitter.com/Tg0ecjKy08
— Diane Abbott MP (@HackneyAbbott) January 18, 2020
Reaction to the deputy leadership hustings from the Mirror’s Dan Bloom.
Richard Burgon says he wants to “democratise further our party” - including full open selections. Will please many members but go down like a cup of cold sick with many MPs.
— Dan Bloom (@danbloom1) January 18, 2020
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In her closing remarks, Allin-Khan said she “gets modern multiculturalism and racism” given her Polish and Pakistani heritage. And she “lives public service” as she still does hospital shifts as a doctor in the NHS.
That brings to an end the hustings event from Liverpool.
Murray said “statistically he is more likely to be in jail then in Parliament” as he was brought up by on a council estate in Scotland.
He also pledged to go to all of the seats the party won, lost and are never likely to win to learn.
Burgon vows to be a campaigning deputy leader rather than a “mischief maker or leader in waiting”. He concluded by saying “let’s fly together”.
Butler gets a rousing reception after highlighting her experience serving under two Labour prime ministers and Corbyn’s shadow cabinet and “never being part of a coup”.
In her closing remarks, Rayner championed her Labour values and how to tackle child poverty and rooting out anti-semitism and discrimination from the party.
Murray said he is not suggesting devolving the accountability but the power to do it.
He added: “Scotland, Northern Ireland shows it works. it is not about moving departments but moving power.”
Allin-Khan revealed she is a life-long Liverpool FC fan, adding she would support having meetings across the country but “power has to go back to the people”.
Butler said: “Can we start having shadow cabinet meetings around the country so we can discussions with you.”
Burgon revealed his dream is for the location of Parliament to be “halfway between Leeds and Bradford.”
The candidates have all championed decentralising power from London.
Rayner said it is “important to move away from London.
“Coastal and rural areas also felt they haven’t been given the support needed.”
Burgon also explained why he did not sign the ten pledges.
“I will support the Labour leader in fighting anti-Semitism.
“I won’t be signing the ten pledges however because of some concerns I have.
“Outsourcing complaints and how that would work in practise. I want to work with all groups.”
Butler explains why she has not signed the ten pledges on addressing anti-Semitism and gets a positive reception from the audience.
“The EHRC is investigating us at the moment, I am waiting for them to report.
“I don’t want to rush this, we have to get this right.”
She added: “I hate racism, I have suffered it every single day.
“The majority of people in the party are not racist nor anti-Semitic but there are a few which need to be booted out.
“I don’t want anyone to be scared about having a debate about racism.”
Did you miss the leadership hustings? Here’s a video highlighting the most important moments
Allin Khan makes a commitment to fight austerity. She said: “I grow up with one heater in the house and my little brother and I had to move it around room to room in order to stay warm. There are 3,000 homeless children in Wandsworth tonight, which is my borough, I know what hunger tastes like, I know what it feels like to be cold. It doesn’t know or understand regional variation. It matters.
You have a commitment from me, an unequivocal one that I will fight austerity with every fibre of my being. That is the reason why I joined the Labour party and that’s the reason why I work in our NHS, and it’s the reason I’m standing to be deputy leader.”
All the other candidates have also spoken out fiercely against austerity.
Burgon got a big round of applause when he defended Jeremy Corbyn.
He said: “I want to speak out against the demonisation of a decent man. There’s no city in this country that knows as much as you do about how newspapers like the right wing Sun newspaper demonised decent people and that’s why I was proud to take the Sun to court, be cross-examined by them for two days, defeat them in court and use the compensation to set up a local internship for young people in Leeds.
“Just as they demonised you in this city, they demonised Jeremy.”
On the manifesto, he said: “I back our progressive policies in both the 2017 and 2019 manifesto. I do think we need to learn the lesson of this devastating election, defeat because our communities are suffering the consequences.”
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While Rayner admits there wasn’t an overarching message in Labour election manifesto, she said: “I have nothing bad to say about what we were trying to achieve in our manifesto, which to me was socialism.”
In response to a question on party unity, Dawn Butler said: “People talk about unity, but I walk the walk on unity. It’s great everyone is talking about being united, but I walk that walk. I have served under two Labour prime ministers and they don’t come around that often, but we need to get us back there again and we need a Labour government.
I have served in the shadow cabinet and I would never, ever, ever, join a coup because no one votes for a disunited party.”
Candidates were first asked to spell out the key message from their campaign that can inspire the membersh.
Rayner, the current-front runner for the position, said: “The key message is utilising every inch of our movement...energising it, and bringing us together to sell what socialism is about, what the labour movement is about.
She added: “My role, my backstory talks about how we can unify the party and we can get behind our leader and that we win the next general election because I don’t think we can wait any longer.”
Deputy leadership hustings begin
There are five MPs running to be the deputy leader of the Labour party. This includes Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, Richard Burgon, Dawn Butler, Ian Murray, and Angela Rayner, who got the most nominations from the parliamentary Labour party.
Afternoon, I’m Aamna Mohdin taking over the live-blog for a bit so Nadeem can have a break.
PA media has some reactions from some of the Labour members at the leadership hustings. Most of those approached by PA Media said there was no “knock-out” blow by any of the candidates.
Duncan Hannant, a member from Rochdale, said:
I thought they all performed admirably. I do have concerns about Emily Thornberry and how she may be seen in the north. I’ve seen her at the dispatch box, she’s very good but in terms of going down with northern men or Workington man, I’m not so sure.
I think we need someone from the north and Nandy is I think the best option at this stage.
Keith Hebron, from Bootle, Liverpool, said:
I think probably the weakest was Jess. The person who spoke most about socialism and community was Long-Bailey. I will be supporting her. I think the issue on abortion may be an issue for her in the Labour Party.
Danuta Brooke, from Sheffield, said:
I thought they were all good candidates capable of leading the Labour Party. For me it is who would make the best opposition leader and for me, Keir Starmer and Emily Thornberry would be best for that.
A man from Riverside Labour Party in Liverpool, who did not want to give his name, said:
“My personal view is the best person is Long-Bailey. I think she performed better than I thought she would, maybe she’s had a negative press recently, so I was pleasantly surprised.”
Labour MP Wes Streeting tweeted: “Proud of (Jess Phillips) at the first Labour hustings - absolutely rooted in the issues and conversations that shift votes and win elections.
“Most importantly, a good-natured debate.”
Former Labour adviser Ayesha Hazarika believes Lisa Nandy and Rebecca Long-Bailey performed the best in the first public hustings.
Nandy & RLB had best outings today. RLB is strong performer & the experience of doing PMQs & the leaders’ debates during the election definitely shows. She will be a formidable contender especially with the money, data & fire power that Momentum & Unite will deliver.
— Ayesha Hazarika (@ayeshahazarika) January 18, 2020
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5/ For me, only two people looked like a potential leader of the UK on a world stage: Thornberry and Starmer - that's not saying the others don't have good personal qualities... we're choosing a PM here... Thornberry edged it over KS... a tough cookie up for a fight...
— Paul Mason (@paulmasonnews) January 18, 2020
More from Paul Mason on the questions asked during the hustings.
4/ Corbyn was like Marley's Ghost in this story: why no question - what did Corbyn get wrong? Again, who is doing the moderation? As for the performances...
— Paul Mason (@paulmasonnews) January 18, 2020
3/ Did Labour HQ sanitise the questions on the Board of Deputies? If so this was a mistake: I want to hear the candidates actually confront the views of Labour members on anti-semitism, to see how they face down the widespread complacency over the issue...
— Paul Mason (@paulmasonnews) January 18, 2020
2/ 40 seconds encourages people to rehearse soundbites - I want a debate. If we just rerun this six times, might as well stop watching. Now onto the content...
— Paul Mason (@paulmasonnews) January 18, 2020
Journalist Paul Mason on the format of the debate where candidates gave monologues with no room for debate.
Labour's first leadership hustings. Some impressions 1/ The format is dire. I want the candidates to argue against each other's ideas. When Jess Phillips did, it set her up to like she was breaking some unwritten code... so its all still subtextual...
— Paul Mason (@paulmasonnews) January 18, 2020
Lewis Goodall’s take on the leadership race -
Verdict? All quite tame. Very different vibe to 15/16. Less energy/vitriol all round. Know some of the non RLB campaigns were concerned partly because it’s Liverpool (Corbynite stronghold in the party)that there would be lots of boos/anger. Early days but still urge to unite.
— Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) January 18, 2020
Some reaction to the hustings -
She also told me last night that she believed the new leader should be a woman.... https://t.co/H3cORUFO2R
— Beth Rigby (@BethRigby) January 18, 2020
In his closing remarks, Sir Keir said he has spent his lifetime campaigning against injustices.
“Rising homelessness, people trapped in low pay, global corporations paying next to no tax, I think another future is possible only if we fight for it.
“When our movement is united it is unstoppable.
“ I never want a night like that 12th December last year ever again for our party.”
Nandy concluded: “For 15 years we have been doing the same thing.
“We need to make waves, make connections. Why not be the party of the migrant children that inspired me into politics?
“I know there hasn’t been a leader who looks or sounds like me, but in Finland and New Zealand it has happened.”
In her closing speech, Thornberry said: “It shouldn’t be about who is going to take us to the left, right or centre but who should take us forward.
“I think I said I am a tough old bird. I represented the miners in the 1980s, stood up against the Iraq war. I want to be the campaigner in chief.”
Phillips said “We could be bold and get back into power in five” rather than take safe option of another Tory government.
“When we win elections, we offer optimistic visions for the future that people actually believe in.
“We need to be diverse to win. Celebrate immigration, provides cradle to grave care for everyone, never turn our back on Europe.”
In her closing remarks, Long-Bailey said “I learnt my politics working in a pawn shop 18 years after Tory rule. You can really see when a government has washed its hands of the people.
“We cannot afford to be despondent, we have to urgently rebuild.”
She also called for the end of the decentralisation of power in London and the “gentlemen’s club of Westminster”.
On climate change, Phillips said: “We have to turn a crisis into a genuine opportunity.
“Investment in battery tech which provide jobs. As a mother of two sons with inhalers, this is our children’s lives, we can only do that through investment.”
Nandy said: “I saw what they did in Silicon Valley. Providing tax breaks and toughest environmental standards, their young people are designing [technologies] of the future whereas ours are building solar panels on the minimum wage.”
Sir Keir stressed “this is a global issue, we need the world to come together.”
On Labour’s manifesto, most of the candidates talked about how difficult it was to sell as a package (Lisa Nandy) and said there was just too much in there but they didn’t disagree with any of the policies (Emily Thornberry). In contrast, Jess Phillips was more blunt in her criticism: she talked about how the broadband policy got laughed at on the doorstep, and how there wasn’t enough emphasis on crime in it. It feels like Phillips is shaping up to be the only candidate who is really trying to create some significant ideological distance between herself and Labour’s 2019 policy platform.
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Long-Bailey championed the “green industrial revolution, the biggest economic lever we have seen in a generation whether tidal power in Merseyside, solar panels on the top of schools and homes.”
On the climate crisis, Thornberry said we need a “deal which is internationalised, every country able to harness natural resources.
“We can take the lead, we created the first industrial revolution.”
On the last election manifesto, Sir Keir said: “My rule is don’t trash the last Labour government and don’t trash the last four years because what Jeremy Corbyn brought to this party, he made us an anti-austerity party.”
He added the manifesto “was overloaded.”
Nandy said: “We need to understand the language of priority and security in their lives. The failure in the last three manifestos is the failure to tackle questions about social security and putting money back into people’s pockets.”
Thornberry said: “The programme was a 25 year programme. The manifesto was too broad too ambitious, I couldn’t keep up with it. There was too much in it.”
All the candidates made strong statements on the party’s failure to deal with antisemitism. But some were stronger than others - most notably those who weren’t part of Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet. Jess Phillips pointed out that not everyone on the stage had, to her knowledge, been actively arguing for a stronger approach behind closed doors in recent months (something shadow cabinet members Emily Thornberry and Keir Starmer, who followed her, strongly denied).
Lisa Nandy said she never wants to see a situation again where Jewish Labour MPs were begging the party to adopt an internationally accepted definition of antisemitism with the people at the top saying “we know better”, and was clear that there has been a monumental failure of leadership on this issue.
Phillips said the manifesto “wasnt strong enough on crime and security”.
What were the problems with the Labour manifesto?
Long-Bailey said: “I was proud of the green industrial reform. But we didnt have that shining conviction of making people’s lives better than the previous generation.”
Sir Keir said: “It’s quite possible to be critical of Israeli policies without being anti-Semitic. If you are anti-Semitic you shouldn’t be in the Labour party, its simple as that.
“I would require a report every week to know what is happening.”
Nandy said: “I am ashamed of where our party ended up. We gave the green light to anti-Semites. Never want to see again the response of top table of ‘we know better than you’ on the definition of anti-Semitism. Never again do I want to be door knocking with members of the party and be called racist. That starts with these pledges.”
Thornberry gets a huge cheer when she said: “Anti-Semitism is a problem for society as a whole and for the Labour party.
“We hold ourselves to a higher standard. Two years ago I made this point, you can, you must be critical of far right government of Netanyahu and what they are doing to Palestine.
“But that is not the fault of the Jews and what’s where racism begins.”
Phillips said: “We need a leader who has spoken out against antisemitism and other forms of harassment.
“ I dont remember some of the people in this room who were there pushing for these fights. Jewish people were scared of Labour winning the election, that is deeply serious.”
On addressing anti-Semitism within Labour, Long-Bailey said: “We cannot allow that level of mistrust to happen again.
We were not dealing with the issue effectively ands responding to complaints. I have signed up to the board of deputy pledges, I agree with many of the principles.”
She added that education is important to address conspiracy theories and smears.
That was an inevitable question on the hostility of the media to the Labour Party. The answers were telling. Some candidates - especially Rebecca Long Bailey and Jess Phillips - chose to focus on the challenges they have personally faced in the media. The most convincing analysis came from Lisa Nandy - she argued that in seeking permission from voters to change the status quo, Labour are always going to be held to a tougher standard by the press, and it’s something the party needs to confront head-on.
On the Red Wall, Nandy said: “Our task is bigger, rebuilding the Red Bridge from Lewisham to Leigh.
“We don’t know better than other parts of the country. We need to shift the centre of gravity in the UK. Moving Labour HQ out of central London would be a major symbol of change.”
Thornberry said: “I’ve visited 137 constituencies around the country. Whether dealing with deindustrialisation or saving our high streets, thats what I have heard. Also a credible opposition, so they believe what we can deliver.”
Phillips said” “People didn’t trust us to deliver for our families or deliver what we said we were going to do. We wern’t very optimistic, just talking about what was bad.
“We need to understand the basics of what people talk about on their doorstep. No-one talks about federalism.”
Sir Keir said: “We have to win back in the Midlands and North and identify every reason that we lost. We have to celebrate what we have in our towns, the businesses and community spirit.
“But we cannot just get back to where we were. We need to win in Scotland, Wales, South East and South West.”
How do you plan on rebuilding the Red Wall?
Long-Bailey said: “We didn’t get our messaging right. People thought we were offering handouts instead of empowerment. We have to talk about aspiration.
“Sweeping away things like the House of Lords and replacing it with an elected senate that represents our regions.”
The candidates are now speaking about getting tougher on social media and fake news and how the Conservatives ran a “slicker” and “insidious” election campaign.
And how trying to turn sections of the press will be insufficient.
On beating Johnson, Sir Keir said: “We’ve got to unite our party or we wont win. I think I have the experience, skillset and determination. I have led a large organisation. We need to win the next general election.”
Long-Bailey: “I have lived through the 40 years of deindustrialisation. That child from Old Trafford who saw her family struggle is angry. We do that through ambition. Make sure prosperity reaches every corner of our communities.”
Phillips: said: “I have managed to take on Boris Johnson from the back benches and have silenced him.
“We have got to start talking to people’s hearts, in a language they can understand.
“That’s what Boris Johnson has done, ‘make Brexit happens’. This is the fight of our lives, and we are not even in the terrain. Johnson would be terrified at facing me.”
Nandy said: “Labour needs to elect someone able to speak for both north, south, east and the west.
“The next leader has to go out into the country and makes waves and empower the movement, thats what I have always done.”
Why are you the person to beat Boris?
Thornberry said: “I am a girly swot, I would quote things at him. He would look confused. You need to hold him to account. He doesnt care. He plays with people’s lives. He was the single worst foreign secretary, I was part of exposing that.”
Sir Keir’s Brexit stance: “I think people are really fed up of it.
“Europe tore the Tory party apart for 40 years, we cannot allow it to tear us apart for 10-20 years.”
Long-Bailey said: “We have got to recognise Brexit will happen. We have to show a clear vision, what our place in the world is going to be.
“People talked about power being centralised in Brussels but Westminster is no different.”
On Brexit, Thornberry said: “He’s [Johnson] not going to get a deal in 2020. I know, you know, he doesn’t care.
“We might be dealing with a no deal Brexit.”
Phillips said: “We have got to send that fight to Boris Johnson so in Grimsby to ensure he does what he promised on the side of a bus. Also in our London seats.”
On Brexit, Nandy said: “We should never allow the Tories to divide us. We have to raise our game. We must raise our game.”
Sir Keir said: “We have had far too much division. We want to come together, we have to end factualism.
“We need to draw the strength, passion of our members together.
Nandy: “Our breadth is what gives us reach in the country. I love the energy and dynamism in our party in recent years and loyalty and experience.
“We must raise the bar and move forward together.”
Thornberry: “We have to stick together. Every day we spend fighting in the media is a day lost fighting with the Tories. We need to have a leader from the heart of the party.”
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Phillips: “The namecalling has been horrendous. Build a broad team of people. What we have found in the past few years is the membership felt they were not being included.”
The first question is how would you reunite the party?
Long Bailey said: “Over the last four years we haven’t been united. It’s not acceptable for our members to call other members a cult. Yes we will disagree but in private.”
Each candidate will have 40 seconds to answer each question with a stopwatch counting down.
Liam Thorp said no interruptions or heckling allowed.
All five leadership candidates are now on stage.
The Liverpool Echo’s political editor Liam Thorp is the host and joked there should be no mention of football today or the Liverpool and Everton rivalry.
Each of the Labour leadership hopefuls must secure the backing of trade unions and local parties in order to make the final ballot.
The five candidates need the support of five per cent of local parties or at least three affiliates - two must be unions - by February 14th to make the final ballot.
Members of the public who join the party or become affiliated supporters before Monday will be eligible to vote in the contest.
The hustings is set to get underway at 11:30am.
Emily Thornberry warned earlier this week that Labour faces “a long, tough road back to power” after the party suffered its worst general election defeat since 1935.
The Islington South and Finsbury MP, who narrowly secured the support from MPs to enter the race on Monday, insisted she was the best placed to oust Boris Johnson within five years.
She said: “Boris Johnson has all sorts of problems with women.
“And he is going to have an even bigger one if I become leader of the Labour Party.
“I think that he has a problem with women.
“I have spoken to a number of women who have said that the way he deals with them - and they are younger women - is that he flirts with them.”
Shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey kicked off her campaign with a speech in Manchester, admitting the party did not talk enough about “aspiration”.
She also vowed to “shake up” the way government works, and put power into the hands of voters.
She was asked why Labour had failed with voters, returning their worst electoral result since 1935.
Mrs Long-Bailey said: “I think for me we had some fantastic policies, I know because I helped write some of them, and really the message didn’t resonate with our voters.
“And what we should have been talking about is aspiration.”
Deputy leadership candidates Rosena-Allin Khan, Richard Burgon, Dawn Butler, Ian Murray and Angela Rayner will also make also their case at today’s event.
Other events are planned in cities including Durham, Bristol, Cardiff, Nottingham, Glasgow and London, as well as in the West Midlands and Bedford over the coming weeks.
The result of the contest will be announced on 4 April.
Updated
Good morning. The first regional hustings in the Labour leadership race will kick off this morning.
Sir Kier Starmer and Rebecca Long-Bailey are among those seeking support to take over from Jeremy Corbyn as party leader.
Long-Bailey and the shadow foreign secretary, Emily Thornberry, officially launched their campaigns to lead Labour last night.
Backbenchers Jess Phillips and Lisa Nandy are also in the race to succeed Corbyn in the ballot.
All five candidates are expected to appear at today’s event in Liverpool to mark the start of their hustings tour around the UK.
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