Call for Labour members to stand by party whoever wins vote
A SCOTTISH campaign to re-elect Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader has called on his opponents to remain in the party whatever the result of the contest.
At a launch event in Glasgow, five key principles were agreed by the “Scottish Labour for Jeremy” campaign, calling for the debate to be conducted with “respect, tolerance and calm” and respect for all candidates.
Organisers said more than 200 people attended the event, which was organised late last week, and that constituency parties had expressed anger at the suspension of branch meetings and a ruling that only those who have been members for six months or more will be allowed to vote in the contest.
Neil Findlay, the Labour MSP who is running Mr Corbyn’s campaign, said: “This is a great start – 200 people gathered together looking to re-elect Jeremy, because he is the candidate who represents the ideas that we need to make the change the country needs.
“The meeting was buzzing with ideas for the campaign and a real enthusiasm for taking Labour forward. What was also clear was that people were horrified at the moves to exclude hundreds of thousands of people from being involved in the Labour Party and the virtual shutting down of party activity.”
Amid fears that Labour could split if Mr Corbyn is re-elected, the campaign called for members to commit to remaining in the party and “campaign for a Labour victory” whatever the result.
It also hailed Mr Corbyn for putting forward “traditional Labour values” but emphasised that all those standing for the party’s top job are “worthy candidates”.
In a dig at rules over voting entitlements that are seen as harming Mr Corbyn’s chances, another key principle states: “We believe this contest should be one of ideas and that using organisational methods to resolve political disagreements does not help the Labour Party to prosper.”