Corbyn won’t be drawn on Carwyn’s leadership
LABOUR leader Jeremy Corbyn has refused to be drawn into a debate on First Minister Carwyn Jones’ leadership style as he joined the by-election campaign trail in Wales yesterday.
Mr Corbyn was in Connah’s Quay, campaigning alongside Labour’s candidate for the Alyn and Deeside seat in the National Assembly, Jack Sargeant – whose father Carl is believed to have taken his own life days after being suspended from his cabinet post.
When asked whether he would accept Carwyn Jones’ leadership if elected, Mr Sargeant called for a “kinder” politics and said he would stand up for the people of Alyn and Deeside.
Asked at Coleg Cambria in Connah’s Quay whether Mr Jones was doing a good job of leading Wales, Mr Corbyn said: “Yes. What we’ve achieved in Wales is considerable.
“The Government is prepared to intervene to protect jobs.”
The Labour leader mentioned support shown by the Welsh Government to the steelworks at Shotton and apprentices trained on Welsh government schemes.
He also said he was looking forward to working with the administration in Wales on English bus regulation.
When asked whether he endorsed Mr Jones’ management style, Mr Corbyn said: “I’m here today supporting Jack Sargeant.
“I’m here today to support Welsh Labour in Alyn and Deeside. Jack is our candidate and I’m very proud to be here with him.”
He added his support for Mr Sargeant should not be taken as him taking a stance against Mr Jones.
When asked whether he would accept Mr Jones’ leadership, Mr Sargeant said: “We will stand up for the people of Alyn and Deeside, just as they have stood up for me and the whole area – that’s my approach.
“It will be standing up for the people of Alyn and Deeside and being a strong voice across North Wales as well. I will be an advocate for a kinder way and treating each other with dignity and respect, throughout politics but throughout life as well.
“That’s a lesson I learned as a young boy. It’s a lesson we all learned in school and we should do that throughout life.”
The by-election is taking place to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Carl Sargeant, who is believed to have taken his own life in November, four days after being removed from his post as Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children following allegations of sexual harassment, which he denied. An inquiry into how Mr Sargeant was treated by the First Minister is expected to get under way soon. It is being led by QC Paul Bowen.
In December Mr Jones did not attend Mr Sargeant’s funeral in his home town of Connah’s Quay, Flintshire, at the request of the Sargeant family. Mr Corbyn, however, travelled to the funeral with his wife, Laura Alvarez.
Early in January Carl Sargeant’s son, Jack, was selected by members of the local Labour Party to contest the seat.
Asked why Mr Jones was not visiting the constituency during the campaign, a Welsh Labour spokeswoman said: “As the First Minister said at the start of the campaign, Jack’s decision to stand shows his commitment to his principles and politics, and the whole of Welsh Labour are behind him and the campaign to elect him as the next AM for Alyn and Deeside.”