CORBYN: WE NEED TWO DEPUTIES
Leader steps in after bid to sack Tom Watson
JEREMY Corbyn yesterday revealed an extraordinary plan for TWO Labour deputy leaders.
It came hours after a failed plot to oust his No2 Tom Watson.
The Labour leader’s move to clip Mr Watson’s wings will see a woman in the joint role.
JEREMY Corbyn told yesterday how he brokered a plan to give Labour two deputy leaders.
The party leader’s aim was to defuse an attempt by his supporters in grass roots group Momentum to get rid of his deputy Tom Watson by abolishing his job.
The move will also result in a woman taking the joint deputy role.
Mr Corbyn struck his compromise deal at a crunch meeting of the party’s ruling national executive to stop the row overshadowing the Labour conference, which began in Brighton yesterday.
He told the Sunday Mirror: “I told the national executive we need to review how the deputy leadership works and have an election process for two deputy leaders in the future which reflects diversity within our society, so one would be a woman.
“It was agreed overwhelmingly.”
Mr Corbyn added: “Tom is the elected deputy leader of the party and so has an important role to play.
“I work with him and he’s done very well on media reform, online gambling and exposing the way sugar has a deleterious affect on our lives.
“He’s a walking manifestation of how to lose weight. Thin Tom as we now call him.”
Mr Watson, 52, shed seven stone over two years and reversed his Type 2 diabetes.
But Mr Corbyn did not deny they had had their differences.
He added: “I’ve got a shadow cabinet with great energy. Diane Abbott says she disagrees with me three times a day but totally supports my leadership.
“When you have people who are very politically committed there are bound to be debates.”
Mr Watson angered the leadership over Brexit by demanding a referendum before an election, while Mr Corbyn insists it must come afterwards.
Diane Abbott disagrees with me three times a day but totally supports me JEREMY CORBYN ON HIS ‘ENERGETIC’ CABINET
BREXIT VOTE
Mr Corbyn also revealed that a second Brexit vote will be held next June if Labour win power.
But he refused to state which way he would vote himself – saying only that he will “referee” the warring factions, and let the public make the final decision.
His plan is for a swift renegotiation after winning the next election – likely to be called at the end of November or in early December.
That would involve a deal with the EU to keep the UK in a customs union, with single market access removing the threat of a hard Irish border.
That is expected to be completed by February, and the deal would be put to the people in June – with the option to remain also on the ballot paper.
Mr Corbyn said: “We’re the party that can put Brexit to bed and show there is life beyond Brexit.
“We would not go down the road of an American trade deal which seems to be the only thing Boris Johnson is interested in.
“That would be a one-sided deal which would do enormous damage to our economy and change the nature of our society. My job is to ensure we are to make the offer to the British people between leave with a trading arrangement with Europe which protects jobs or remain and hopefully reform.” Asked how he might vote, Mr Corbyn said: “I’ll let you know at the time.”
Me a n - while the Labour leader said he was determined to tackle antisemitism in the party.
New rules mean any serious cases will be fast-tracked within weeks by a special panel with powers to order expulsion.
Asked if his plan for government was a socialist revolution, but a very British one, Mr Corbyn replied: “That’s a good way of
putting it. We’ll build on past achievements.” On a plan to introduce a four day, 32-hour week on the same pay he said: “Socialism is about advancing everyone’s freedom. Part of that freedom is having more time to spend with your friends and loved ones.”
On taxing private schools by abolishing their charitable status, making them pay fair business rates and charging VAT on fees he said: “Nurses, teachers, small business and everybody else have to pay their taxes. Why should elitist institutions be different?”
Mr Corbyn is wary of comparing himself with Marvel comic characters as Boris Johnson did and was then ridiculed as the Incredible Hulk.
The Labour leader said: “I’m no superhero – but I hope my superpower is listening to people. You can learn a lot from listening.”
Mr Johnson described Mr Corbyn as a “superannuated Marxist” in an email to Conservative party members on Friday.
Mr Corbyn sniffed: “That’s ridiculously ageist. I haven’t got anything against him because of his age.”
A YouGov survey for People’s Vote out today shows Boris Johnson’s Tory lead halved to seven points ahead of Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour which is only one point ahead of the Lib Dems.
The survey of 2,000 voters puts Conservatives on 30 per cent, Labour on 23, Lib Dems on 22 and the Brexit Party at 14.
This would leave the PM 19 seats short of an overall majority with both Labour and Conservatives losing seats to the Lib Dems and SNP.