Labour’s leader has Toon boss Ashley in his sights
SPORTS DIRECT MD SHOULD BE WORRIED, SAYS CORBYN IN LATEST SPEECH
LABOUR leader Jeremy Corbyn came out fighting in his first major speech of the 2017 General Election – and said Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley should be “worried” about a Labour government.
He said the election was a battle of the rich establishment represented by the Tories versus ordinary people represented by Labour.
And he named Newcastle United owner Ashley and former BHS boss Philip Green as the type of people he had in his sights.
It follows criticism of Sports Direct’s employment practices and the use of zero-hour contracts. Sir Philip has been criticised for the way he sold off BHS, which later collapsed. In a passionate speech presenting himself as the antiestablishment candidate to be Prime Minister, Mr Corbyn pledged to take on fat cats who don’t pay their fair share in taxes and exploit workers.
He said: “Britain is the sixth richest economy in the world. The people of Britain must share in that wealth.
“If I were Southern Rail or Philip Green, I’d be worried about a Labour
government. If I were Mike Ashley or the CEO of a tax-avoiding multinational corporation, I’d want to see a Tory victory.
“Why? Because those are the people who are monopolising the wealth that should be shared by each and every one of us in this country.
“Everyone, and I mean everyone, has a contribution to make and a life to lead. Poverty and homelessness are a disaster for the individual and a loss to all of us.
“It is wealth that should belong to the majority and not a tiny minority.
“Labour is the party that will put the interests of the majority first, while the Tories only really care about those who already have so much.”
He added: “We will no longer allow those at the top to leech off those who bust their guts on zero-hours contracts or those forced to make sacrifices to pay their mortgage or their rent.”
Mr Corbyn dismissed reports in the media that Labour is doomed to lose when the nation goes to the polls on June 8.
He said people mocked him because he wouldn’t play by the rules, but he was going to prove them wrong. He insisted: “The dividing lines in this election could not be clearer from the outset. It is the Conservatives, the party of privilege and the richest, versus the Labour Party, the party that is standing up for working people to improve the lives of all. “It is the establishment versus the people and it is our historic duty to make sure that the people prevail.” The media were wrong to think Labour can’t win, he said. “Much of the media and establishment are saying that this election is a foregone conclusion. “They think there are rules in politics, which if you don’t follow by doffing your cap to powerful people, accepting that things can’t really change, then you can’t win.” Labour will set out policies “to unlock opportunities for every single person in this country” in the runup to the June 8 general election, Mr Corbyn said. Tories focused on Mr Corbyn’s apparent refusal to rule out a second referendum on Brexit if he becomes Prime Minister. He appeared to dodge the question when asked by a journalist whether he was considering a second vote. However, Labour later issued a statement saying a second referendum was not party policy and would not be in the election manifesto.