LABOUR CHALLENGER’S PROMISE TO LONDON
LABOUR leadership challenger Owen Smith today pledged to “give hope” to Londoners struggling to buy or rent a home.
He stressed that while the capital is a “fantastic” city, too many people felt it “just doesn’t work” for them, with huge wealth divides and many people facing financial difficulties.
“House prices making getting hold of a secure home seem like a distant dream, wages not keeping up with prices, and parents worried about the future for their children... this can’t go on and I pledge to do something about it,” he said on a visit to Croydon.
He promised that Labour under his leadership if he wins would demand “concrete answers” to London’ s challenges, including through a £200 billion British New Deal to build homes that people can afford, improving the transport network, and new workers’ rights to drive up pay.
With London having voted to Remain in the EU, Pontypridd MP Mr Smith — who will be speaking at a rally in Pimlico this evening — is also calling for a second referendum or a general election to “sign off ” the final Brexit deal.
Polls suggest that Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn is favourite to win the Labour leadership contest, despite a 172-40 vote of no confidence in him by the party’s MPs.
But Mr Smith has gone on the offensive and last night questioned Mr Corbyn’s patriotism, suggesting it is not “part of his make-up”.
The former shadow work and pensions secretary also claimed that Mr Corbyn’s “metropolitan” politics were at odds with Labour traditions about national identity in England, Scotland and Wales.
Mr Corbyn’s patriotism has been questioned before, including after he refused to sing the national anthem at a Battle of Britain memorial service in St Paul’s Cathedral.
Mr Smith, who said he would meet the Nato target of spending two per cent of GDP on defence, renew Trident and be prepared to push the button to launch a nuclear strike if he was in No 10, said: “One of the weaknesses we have had recently is that people worry that Labour isn’ t serious about security, that it is a lesser issue for Jeremy.
“I’m not sure that’s right, but he has certainly got a different perspective on some of those things — on patriotism if you like, and on security, on defence I think I have got a more traditional Labour perspective on that.”
Mr Smith has come under fire from Mr Corbyn’s allies over his previous work as a lobbyist for pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. He has said that he is committed to a “100 per cent publiclyowned” NHS.
Mr Corbyn’s campaign received a boost as Sarah Champion, one of the MPs who quit their front-bench roles as confidence in his leadership disappeared at Westminster, returned to her shadow home affairs role.
But he also faced a legal battle over his place in the leadership contest, after he was automatically named on the ballot paper without having to secure nominations from the party’s MPs.
Labour donor Michael Foster, a former parliamentary candidate, was today bringing a claim at London’s High Court against the party’s general secretary Iain McNicol, who is being sued in a representative capacity, and Mr Corbyn, over the decision by the party’s National Executive Committee.