The head of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn – facing difficulties as a result of the rebellion of a great number of Labour parliamentarians following the Brexit referendum –, launched his campaign on Thursday for re-election at the head of the party. The rebellion of Labour parliamentarians against Jeremy Corbyn, notwithstanding having been elected in triumph in September 2015 by 59.5% of party members, erupted following the voting on June 23rd. Reproaching him for having too blandly defended remaining within the EU, 172 parliamentarians (out of 230) passed a no-confidence motion, and two-thirds of the members of his ghost cabinet resigned.
Mr. Corbyn, whose radical and pacifist ideas are not well-regarded by a majority of parliamentarians, nor by the apparatus of the party, will face open competition for his succession from Welsh parliamentarian Owen Smith, aged 46, a veteran lobbyist little-known outside Westminster and his constituency in Wales. “It is the duty and responsibility of every Labour parliamentarian to support the party,” declared Mr. Corbyn at his first campaign speech, addressing those “who do not agree (with him) or who do not favour (him) personally.”
Mr. Corbyn, aged 67, has also assured that he would make the party “stronger” and “greater” following his campaign, promising a victory in the next legislative elections. In spite of the rebellion of which he is the object, Jeremy Corbyn refuses to cede, boasting continued support from militants and unions. The party member vote should begin August 22nd with the dispatching of ballots by mail and e-mail, closing on September 21st. The result is to be announced on September 24th at an extraordinary assembly of the party at Liverpool.
(Source: Belga)
