Jeremy Corbyn

Jeremy Corbyn          (maverick, politician)
Born	Jeremy Bernard Corbyn 26 May 1949 Chippenham, Wiltshire, England
Nationality	British
Alma mater	University of North London
Children	3
Spouse	• Jane Chapman • Claudia Bracchitta • Laura Alvarez
Founder of	Collective Party, Peace and Justice Project
Member of	Belmarsh Tribunal, Independent Alliance
Victim of	• Jewish Power • CAA • Zionism • Israel lobby
Interest of	W. Stephen Gilbert, Labour Against The Witchhunt
Party	Labour, Independent
Relatives	Piers Corbyn
On Labour's left wing, but on the right side of history!  Leader of the Labour Party In office 12 September 2015 - 4 April 2020 Deputy Tom Watson Preceded by Harriet Harman Succeeded by Keir Starmer  UK/Leader of the Opposition  In office 12 September 2015 - 4 April 2020 Preceded by Harriet Harman Succeeded by Keir Starmer  Member of Parliament for Islington North In office 9 June 1983 - Present  Chair of Stop the War Coalition In office 14 June 2011 - 12 September 2015

Jeremy Corbyn (born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who was Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition from September 2015 to April 2020. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington North since the 1983 General Election.

Jeremy Corbyn was suspended from membership of the Labour Party, then readmitted, but prevented by Keir Starmer from standing as a Labour candidate at Islington North in the UK/General election/2024. Corbyn therefore decided to stand as an Independent in his constituency.

Previous elections

In the UK/2017 General Election, the Labour Party increased its share of the vote to 40%, with Labour's 9.6% vote swing being its largest since the 1945 General Election. Under Corbyn, Labour achieved a net gain of 30 seats and a hung parliament, but Theresa May formed a minority government and the party remained in Opposition. Following the Labour Party's poor performance in the UK/2019 General Election, Jeremy Corbyn announced he would step down as Labour leader upon the election of a successor.

On 4 April 2020, Keir Starmer was elected as Leader of the Labour Party with Angela Rayner as his deputy. Jeremy Corbyn tweeted:

"Congratulations @Keir Starmer and @Angela Rayner. Being Labour Party leader is a great honour and responsibility. I look forward to working with Keir and Angela to elect the next Labour government and transform our country."

Later in April 2020, an internal Labour Party report, entitled The work of the Labour Party's Governance and Legal Unit in relation to antisemitism, 2014–2019, was leaked to the media. The leaked report showed how top Labour officials plotted to bring down Jeremy Corbyn, including by exploiting antisemitism, and was meant to form part of the Labour Party's submission to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) inquiry into Labour's approach to dealing with antisemitism. However, Keir Starmer decided not to submit the report to the EHRC but instead appointed Martin Forde QC to head an inquiry into the leaked report, leading to allegations from Corbyn supporters of a whitewash.

In October 2020, when the EHRC published its report finding the Labour Party had breached the Equality Act 2010 in three ways, Jeremy Corbyn responded by claiming the scale of antisemitism within Labour had been "dramatically overstated for political reasons by our opponents inside and outside the party, as well as by much of the media". On the strength of those remarks, Keir Starmer immediately suspended Corbyn from the Labour Party pending investigation by acting General Secretary David Evans. On 17 November 2020, Jeremy Corbyn was given a formal warning and reinstated to the Labour Party, but Starmer has refused to restore the parliamentary whip to Corbyn.

In April 2022, Keir Starmer said that it was "very difficult to see" Corbyn re-join the party and stand as a candidate at the next general election after his critical comments about NATO.

Snap elections

In the snap UK/2017 General Election, Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party increased its share of the popular vote to 40%, resulting in a net gain of 30 seats and leaving Theresa May's Tories without an overall majority. It was the first time Labour had made a net gain of seats since 1997, and the party's 9.6% increase in vote share was its largest since the 1945 General Election. His speech to the Labour Party conference in Brighton on 27 September 2017 was rapturously received.

In November 2018, when there was speculation about another snap General Election, Jeremy Corbyn reportedly met with Alex Younger, head of MI6, for a detailed briefing on the Secret Intelligence Service's organisational and operational structure.

Scheduled for 9 December 2018, a proposed TV debate on Brexit between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn might not take place. A Labour spokesman said:

"As she did during the General Election campaign, Theresa May is running away from the scrutiny of a real head-to-head debate with Jeremy Corbyn. Why else would she not accept ITV's offer of a straightforward head-to-head debate, as Jeremy has done? Instead, her team are playing games and prefer the BBC's offer, which would provide less debating time and risk a confusing mish-mash for the viewing public."

On 14 August 2019, Jeremy Corbyn tweeted:

"I've written to the leaders of other political parties and senior backbenchers from across Parliament to lay out my plan to stop a disastrous No-Deal Brexit and let the people decide the future of our country. I hope they are able to attend the meeting, which we will hold in my office on Tuesday 27th August 2019 at 11am."

Speaking on 19 August 2019 in the Tory-held marginal seat Corby in the East Midlands, Corbyn called for a Brexit "crisis" General Election to stop the UK leaving the EU without a deal. He said:

"Labour believes the decision on how to resolve the Brexit crisis must go back to the people. And if there is a General Election this autumn, Labour would commit to holding a public vote, to give voters the final say, with credible options for both sides, including the option to remain."

Leadership elections

2015

On 3 June 2015, BBC News Online reported that Corbyn was a candidate in the contest to become the next Leader of the Labour Party following Ed Miliband’s resignation. The BBC report quoted Corbyn as telling the Islington Tribune that he would stand on a "clear anti-austerity platform". Corbyn added: "This decision to stand is in response to an overwhelming call by Labour Party members who want to see a broader range of candidates and a thorough debate about the future of the party. I am standing to give Labour Party members a voice in this debate". He achieved the 35th nomination required to be present on the ballot just before the noon deadline on 15 June 2015.

On 12 September 2015, Jeremy Corbyn was elected Leader of the Labour Party with 59.5% of the votes, and the deputy leadership election was won by Tom Watson with 39.4% of the votes.

Army mutiny

In September 2015, a senior serving general (most likely Sir Nicholas Houghton), warned that a Jeremy Corbyn government could face "a mutiny" from the Army if it tried to downgrade them. The unnamed general said members of the armed forces would begin directly and publicly challenging the labour leader if he tried to scrap Trident, pull out of Nato or announce "any plans to emasculate and shrink the size of the armed forces." He threatened that "The Army just wouldn’t stand for it. The general staff would not allow a prime minister to jeopardise the security of this country and I think people would use whatever means possible, fair or foul to prevent that. You can’t put a maverick in charge of a country’s security."

2016

On 24 June 2016, after the decisive brexit vote in the EU Referendum, two Labour MPs Dame Margaret Hodge and Ann Coffey submitted a motion of no confidence in Jeremy Corbyn. Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell quickly dismissed the move, saying he had a mandate to lead the party and predicted even if they forced a fresh leadership election, the party members and supporters would again back Corbyn. An online petition on the 38 Degrees website calling for "a vote of confidence in Jeremy Corbyn", however, attracted over 100,000 signatures within a few hours.

On 11 July 2016, Iain McNicol, general secretary of the Labour Party, announced that another leadership contest would be held after Wallasey MP Angela Eagle obtained the necessary number of nominations. However, Ms Eagle withdrew from the race a week later in order to back Owen Smith as a "unity candidate" to take on the incumbent 67-year-old Mr Corbyn.

Jeremy Corbyn launched his successful campaign for re-election as Labour leader on 21 July 2016, the same day as his biographer, W Stephen Gilbert, published a 6000-word essay entitled "The Origins of Labour’s Civil War", which concluded that "The greatest difficulty that the anti-Corbyn MPs, the media and the Tories all share is a fact that they simply cannot stomach: Jeremy Corbyn is the most popular politician in Britain."

On 26 July 2016, Labour donor and former prospective parliamentary candidate Michael Foster brought a legal action against Iain McNicol, challenging the NEC's decision of 12 July 2016 that the incumbent leader is automatically included in the contest. NEC members had wrestled with legal advice for six hours over whether Mr Corbyn would need to secure the support of 20% of Labour MPs and MEPs (51 nominations) but voted 18-14 that he should automatically be on the leadership ballot.

Jeremy Corbyn requested to be added to the proceedings as second defendant in the High Court case, when Foster sought to reverse this decision by the NEC. In a three-page Judgment on 28 July 2016, Mr Justice Foskett concluded that the decision of the NEC was correct and that Mr Corbyn was entitled to be a candidate in the forthcoming election without the need for nominations. Jeremy Corbyn said:

"I welcome the decision by the High Court to respect the democracy of the Labour party. This has been a waste of time and resources when our party should be focused on holding the government to account.

"There should have been no question of the right of half a million Labour party members to choose their own leader being overturned. If anything, the aim should be to expand the number of voters in this election.

"I hope all candidates and supporters will reject any attempt to prolong this process, and that we can now proceed with the election in a comradely and respectful manner."

Background

Jeremy Corbyn attended Adams' Grammar School in Newport, Shropshire. He and his elder brother Piers Corbyn are the sons of David B. Corbyn, an expert in power rectifiers. For many years Corbyn lived in Haringey but moved to Finsbury Park in London with his three sons. In 1999 he divorced after his wife refused to send their son to a local inner-city school. Corbyn opposes the segregation of children at such a young age. However, Corbyn has stated he 'gets on very well' with his ex-wife. He also stated 'Well, I’ve got three boys and love them dearly and we get along great'

In a 2014 interview, he described himself as 'parsimonious' and stated 'Well, I don’t spend a lot of money, I lead a very normal life, I ride a bicycle and I don’t have a car'. From 7 May until 31 August 2010, Corbyn was the lowest expenses-claimer in the House of Commons. He told the Islington Gazette 'I am a parsimonious MP. I think we should claim what we need to run our offices and pay our staff but be careful because it’s obviously public money. In a year, rent for the office Durham Road, Finsbury Park, is about £12,000 to £14,000' He rents his constituency office from the Ethical Property Company.

Political career

Before his election to Parliament, Jeremy Corbyn was an elected councillor in the London Borough of Haringey (1974–83). He was also a full-time organiser for National Union of Public Employees (NUPE) and served on a health authority. He is considered one of the more left-wing of Labour MPs and is member of the Socialist Campaign Group. He has a weekly column in the Morning Star. A long-time supporter of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), he is one of its three Vice-Chairs. He is on the London Regional Select Committee.

He voted against introducing university tuition fees in England, and voted against their increase. He was opposed to academies and private finance initiatives. He supports renationalisation of railways and a higher minimum wage. He supports a higher rate of tax for the wealthiest and an increased corporate tax rate to fund public services.

Stop the War

Jeremy Corbyn was fiercely opposed to the Iraq War and has spoken at many anti-war rallies in Britain and overseas. He is an elected member of the Stop the War Coalition (StWC) steering committee. On 31 October 2006, Corbyn was one of 12 Labour MPs to back Plaid Cymru and the Scottish National Party's call for an inquiry into the war.

Andrew Murray, Jeremy Corbyn and Tony Benn protest the BBC's coverage of Israel's assault on Gaza (24 Jan 2009)

Stop the War march on Downing Street, 12 December 2015

Tony Blair should stand trial on charges of war crimes if the evidence suggests he broke international law over the “illegal” Iraq war in 2003, the Labour leadership frontrunner Jeremy Corbyn said on 5 August 2015. He called on the former prime minister to “confess” the understandings he reached with George W Bush in the run up to the invasion. Asked on BBC Newsnight whether Blair should stand trial on war crimes charges, Corbyn said:

“If he has committed a war crime, yes. Everybody who has committed a war crime should be. It was an illegal war. I am confident about that. Indeed UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan confirmed it was an illegal war and therefore Tony Blair has to explain to that. Is he going to be tried for it? I don’t know. Could he be tried for it? Possibly. The Chilcot report is going to come out sometime. I hope it comes out soon. I think there are some decisions Tony Blair has got to confess or tell us what actually happened. What happened in Crawford, Texas, in 2002 in his private meetings with George W Bush. Why has the Chilcot report still not come out because – apparently there is still debate about the release of information on one side or the other of the Atlantic. At that point Tony Blair and the others that have made the decisions are then going to have to deal with the consequences of it.”

On 17 August 2015, StWC reported that a future Labour government under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn would almost certainly reinstate the law on United Kingdom Universal Jurisdiction that was quietly amended by the previous Cameron government in order to facilitate the entry into Britain of Israeli politicians and military personnel without fear of arrest for alleged war crimes. That contentious action was taken by the then Foreign Secretary, William Hague, in order to accede to the demands of Binyamin Netanyahu and the government of Israel, and against the opposition of UK human rights groups.

Speaking on BBC2 Newsnight on 11 December 2015, former Labour leader Ed Miliband addressed the debate over Jeremy Corbyn’s association with the Stop the War Coalition saying that winning the next General Election should be the party’s focus:

“He's got a long-standing association with this organisation, he's got a long-standing opposition to different types of intervention. He spoke on this in the Syria debate. I think our party's focus should be on taking the fight to the Tories and working out the ideas that are going to win us the next General Election, not Jeremy Corbyn's political engagements."

Campaigns

Jeremy Corbyn is a well-known campaigner against Apartheid in South Africa. In 1984, he was arrested for protesting outside South Africa House in London. He served on the National Executive of the Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM).

He is a long-standing supporter of a United Ireland, inviting Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams to London in 1984. He is a prominent Amnesty International member. He campaigned for the trial of the late former Chilean dictator, Augusto Pinochet.

Jeremy Corbyn announced in December 2006 that he was considering running for the Labour party deputy leadership to provide an anti-war candidate but later changed his mind.

Corbyn has been a long-time campaigner on animal rights issues. He was one of the signatories to Tony Banks' "Pigeon Bombs" Early Day Motion and in 2015 signed a motion calling for a ban on the importation of foie gras into the United Kingdom and was a sponsor of a motion opposing the Yulin Dog Meat Festival.

He was also a signatory to Michael Meacher's Climate Change Early Day Motion, in stark contrast to his brother, weather forecaster Piers Corbyn's views on climate change.

He has campaigned against the Gaza–Israel conflict and promotes the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. He is also a Venezuelan solidarity activist and has advocated for the rights of the forcibly-removed Chagossians to return to the British Indian Ocean Territory.

In early 2013, Corbyn co-signed a letter which was published in The Guardian newspaper that indicated his support for the anti-austerity People's Assembly movement. He has been a sponsor of the March for Homes.

In 2013, Corbyn attended a conference in London, organised by the Argentine Foreign Ministry, calling for dialogue between the UK and Argentine governments on the question of Falkland Islands sovereignty.

In 2013, Corbyn an advocate for dalit rights, told The Indian Express newspaper that caste prejudice was "exported to the UK through the Indian Diaspora. The same attitudes of superiority, pollution and separateness appear to be present in South Asian communities now settled in the UK".

Political and community organisations

Jeremy Corbyn is Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Committee (APPC) on the Chagos Islands, Chair of the APPC on Mexico, Vice-Chair of the APPC on Latin America and Vice-Chair of the Human Rights APPC. He is also a Member of the Bolivia, Britain-Palestine, Great Lakes, Dalits, Cycling, International Parliamentary Union and Traveller Law Reform groups. He is a patron of Centre 404, a service for those with educational disabilities, Islington Music Forum, Refugee Therapy Centre and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. He is also Chair of Dalit Solidarity Campaign and Liberation the anti-racism and anti-imperialism organisation. He is the joint president of the Islington Pensioners Forum. He is a trustee of Socialist Campaign Group, Hanley Crouch Community Association and the Highbury Vale and Blackstock Trust.

A member of a number of union groups in Parliament, Corbyn is sponsored by several trade unions, such as Unison, National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers and Unite, and is a committed anti-fascist having spoken at the Unite Against Fascism and Barking and Dagenham TUC anti-British National Party rally in December 2001 and also speaking at the organisations annual conference in 2007 attacking the record of the media and calling for a No Platform of the BNP.

Israeli–Palestinian conflict

Jeremy Corbyn leads a demonstration against the Israeli war on Gaza in 2014

Jeremy Corbyn has long campaigned against Apartheid in Israel. In June 2018, he said:

“The killing of Razan al-Najjar, the 22-year-old medical volunteer shot by an Israeli sniper in Gaza on Friday, is the latest tragic reminder of the outrageous and indiscriminate brutality being meted out, under orders from the Netanyahu government. […] The silence, or worse support, for this flagrant illegality, from many Western governments, including our own, has been shameful.”

Jeremy Corbyn said the United Kingdom, as a permanent UN Security Council member, has a “particular responsibility” to ensure there is accountability and “effective international action to halt the killings”:

“The UK government’s decision not to support either a UN Commission of Inquiry into the shocking scale of killings of civilian protesters in Gaza, or the more recent UN resolution condemning indiscriminate Israeli use of force – and calling for the protection of Palestinians – is morally indefensible.”

Last week, the United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that condemned Israel’s use of force against Palestinians after it had passed the vote. The United Kingdom abstained from the vote, while France, Russia, Bolivia, China, Ivory Coast, Kazakhstan, Peru, Sweden, and Equatorial Guinea backed the Kuwait-proposed measure.

The United States had put forward a countermeasure condemning and blaming the Palestinian group Hamas for the violence, a measure that did not receive the support of any other country in the 15-member council.

Genocide in Gaza

On 26 January 2024, when the International Court of Justice ruled in the case brought by South Africa against the Israeli genocide being carried out in Gaza, Jeremy Corbyn posted on X:

Venezuela

In August 2017, Jeremy Corbyn said he is saddened by the violence and loss of life in Venezuela, "either of those on the streets or of the security forces who have been attacked by those on the streets. Violence is not going to solve the issues," Corbyn told the BBC and other media, at the end of a local party meeting in the southern English town of Crawley. He said there has to be dialogue and a process that respects Venezuela's institutions, including the independence of the judiciary. He welcomed the backing for dialogue given by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and suggested this could become a regional initiative.

Corbyn had been under intense pressure to distance himself from the Bolivarian government, with which he has often expressed solidarity in the past. Members of Parliament on the right of his own party, as well as leaders from other British parties, have all demanded that the Labour leader condemn what they call "the regime" of President Nicolás Maduro. This pressure came after opinion polls in mid-July gave Corbyn approval ratings 11 points higher than the British prime minister, Theresa May, and made him the only leader of a major British party with a positive approval score. Before his unexpectedly strong showing in the June general election, Corbyn was repeatedly attacked over his past support for Irish nationalists or the Palestinians.

Corbyn's comments in Crawley were his first response to the latest demands after returning from vacation. He said it was important to recognise "that there have been effective and serious attempts at reducing poverty in Venezuela, improving literacy and improving the lives of many of the poorest people." When asked if he regretted giving his support to Maduro when he came to power, Corbyn answered:

"I gave the support of many people around the world for the principle of a government that was dedicated towards reducing inequality and improving the life chances of the poorest people."

Vince Cable, the leader of the centrist Liberal Democrats, who lost many of their seats in Parliament in June's elections, responded to Corbyn's remarks with another attack:

“The whole idea that Hugo Chávez and his successor could serve as a dry-run for government in the U.K. is absolutely horrifying. The leadership of the Labour party must make it abundantly clear that they have ended their infatuation with the Venezuelan regime.”

Jeremy Corbyn has a long history of supporting popular struggles in Latin America, going back to the aftermath of the coup against Salvador Allende in Chile and his participation in labour movement delegations to Central America in the 1980s.

Lord Prescott, a former Labour deputy prime minister said Corbyn does not "run away" from opinions he previously expressed about Venezuela.

Party rebel

Since 2005 Jeremy Corbyn has defied the whip 238 times (25% of the time), making him one of the most rebellious Labour MPs, only matched by Kate Hoey. He was one of 16 signatories of an open letter to Ed Miliband in January 2015 calling on the party to commit to oppose further austerity, take rail franchises back into public ownership and strengthen collective bargaining arrangements.

Peace and Justice Project

On 13 December 2020, Jeremy Corbyn announced the launching of a global Peace and Justice Project to advance the causes that he championed as Labour leader:

• Climate Justice - Green New Deal,
• Economic Security - Pandemic solidarity,
• Democratic Society - Media reform, and
• International Justice - Vaccine equality.

Forde Report

Jeremy Corbyn on the report that the Mainstream Media doesn't want you to know about

On 19 July 2022, the Morning Star reported

Responding to the Forde Report, Jeremy Corbyn, former Leader of the Labour Party, said: “The Forde Report casts an important light on events in the Labour Party in recent years. My election as leader in 2015 was a major shock in British politics. It wasn’t about me, but a popular demand for anti-austerity politics following the 2008 financial crisis and 35 years of market fundamentalism.

“Despite overwhelming support from members and affiliates, powerful groups in the party found that change hard to come to terms with. This led to a conflict in Labour that created a toxic environment, which the Forde Report lays bare. In any party there are groups and factions, but the resistance we were faced with went far beyond that.

“It included the secret diversion of campaign funds by senior HQ staff in the 2017 election, which Forde rightly condemns as 'unequivocally wrong'. Whether or not that prevented the election of a Labour government, it was dishonest. In a democratic party those decisions should be taken by the elected leadership. Too often the will of the membership was overridden by people who thought they shouldn’t have had a say in the first place.

“Whatever arguments there are about specific findings, this report should help us see a path forward. The politics of the many, not the few, are more needed in this country than ever. We suffer a cost of living scandal while billionaire wealth soars and climate breakdown accelerates while fossil fuel companies boast record profits. For the Labour Party to be the vehicle for a better and sustainable world, things need to change.

“The appalling behaviour that Forde calls out, including the repulsive racism and sexism shown to Diane Abbott and others, should have no place in a progressive party. Toxic factionalism is far from over - nor are persistent problems of racism and sexism - and action must be taken, as Forde makes clear.

“Most of all, the Party needs to decide what it is for and who decides that. Are we a democratic socialist party, run by members and affiliated unions, that aims for a fundamental transfer of wealth and power from the few to the many? Or are we something else?”

Weaponising Anti-Semitism

On 18 November 2015, Oliver Tickell editor of The Ecologist magazine claimed that right-wing Labour MPs – backed by the corporate media – had launched a full-scale coup against Jeremy Corbyn to discredit him so utterly that even his own supporters turn against him and elect a new 'heir to Blair' leader.

Having given Labour MPs a free vote, Jeremy Corbyn opened the debate on 2 December 2015 in the House of Commons opposing David Cameron's motion to extend from Iraq to Syria Britain's bombing of Islamic State. After a 10-hour debate Labour's Shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary Benn spoke in support of the government's motion which was approved by 397 votes to 223.

On 3 December 2015, confounding the chorus of critics in the media and on the Blairite wing of the party who had been talking up the chances of UKIP's winning the Oldham byelection (caused by the death of Corbyn supporter Michael Meacher), Jeremy Corbyn hailed Jim McMahon's victory as a "vote of confidence" with Labour’s share up 7.5% to 62.3%.

How the Israel lobby brought Corbyn down

Jewish activist Tony Greenstein predicted these solid results would give Corbyn only a temporary reprieve because far-right Labour MP John Mann, the Blairite Progress group and the Zionists were doing "their best to destroy Labour’s election performance."

In May 2023, Asa Winstanley's "Weaponising Anti-Semitism: How the Israel lobby brought down Jeremy Corbyn" was published:

Investigative journalist Asa Winstanley shows how Labour’s crisis of anti-Semitism allegations was manufactured by pro-Israel groups. Jeremy Corbyn’s enemies were determined to abort his left-wing project in its infancy, and he was hated by Israel and its allies because of his long support for the Palestine solidarity movement.

"Weaponising Anti-Semitism" exposes the plot by the Israel lobby in alliance with the Labour right and Israeli and British intelligence agencies to stop a socialist entering Number 10 Downing Street. With new interviews and unique access to most of the “high profile cases,” read Labour’s smeared activists in their own words.

An essential historical corrective, "Weaponising Anti-Semitism" tells a true story of hope, despair, solidarity and betrayal.

Nuclear deterrent

Interviewed on the BBC's "Andrew Marr Show" on 8 November 2015, General Sir Nicholas Houghton said he would be worried by any prospect of the Labour leader’s views being “translated into power” because Jeremy Corbyn has said he would never be willing to approve the use of nuclear weapons. Corbyn’s stance defeated the point of having a nuclear deterrent, Houghton said. Responding to the interview, Corbyn said:

“It is a matter of serious concern that the Chief of the Defence Staff has today intervened directly in issues of political dispute. It is essential in a democracy that the military remains politically neutral at all times. By publicly taking sides in current political arguments, Sir Nicholas Houghton has clearly breached that constitutional principle. Accordingly, I am writing to the Defence Secretary (Michael Fallon) to ask him to take action to ensure that the neutrality of the armed forces is upheld.”

Corbyn was also objecting to the way General Houghton used a separate interview to say Britain was “letting down” its allies by not engaging in air strikes against Islamic State in Syria.

Peace Awards

On 26 November 2013, Jeremy Corbyn was awarded the Gandhi International Peace Award for his "consistent efforts over a 30-year parliamentary career to uphold the Gandhian values of social justice and non‐violence." His 7-page Acceptance Speech for the Gandhi Foundation International Peace Award is recorded here.

On 8 December 2017, Jeremy Corbyn was awarded the MacBride Peace Prize "for his sustained and powerful political work for disarmament and peace." He was interviewed by Reiner Braun, co-President of the International Peace Bureau, in Geneva.

Answering Braun's three questions, Mr Corbyn set out his plan for a peaceful world:

1. What are the next steps to reach a nuclear weapons-free world?

2. Despite NATO´s request to increase the military budget of members to 2% of their GDP, how can disarmament be discussed and enforced?

3. What are the next steps for western countries to build cooperative relations with Russia?

Media blackout complaint pooh-poohed

On 14 December 2014, Shadow Fire and Emergency Services Minister, Chris Williamson, complained of a "media blackout" when he spoke to BBC Daily Politics presenter Jo Coburn, and former Labour MP Gisela Stuart, about the lack of coverage of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn winning the MacBride Peace Prize.

Pooh-poohing Williamson's complaint, Jo Coburn suggested that it was for the Labour Party – not the media – to publicise such events.

Corbyn's maxim

Extract from Jeremy Corbyn's speech at the 2017 Glastonbury Festival:

"I think we should adopt a maxim in life, that everyone we meet is unique, everyone we meet knows something we don't know, is slightly different to us in some ways.

"Don't see them as a threat, don't see them as an enemy, see them as a source of knowledge, a source of friendship, and a source of inspiration."

Eye problem

In March 2019, a Labour Party spokesperson said:

"Jeremy Corbyn has a muscle weakness in his right eye which has become apparent in recent months. He is being treated at Moorfields Eye Hospital and thanks the wonderful staff for their care and expertise. He has been using corrective glasses as part of the treatment. He is otherwise in good health, is on the campaign trail every week travelling the country and runs and cycles regularly."

 

Documents by Jeremy Corbyn

Title	Document type	Publication date	Subject(s)	Description
Document:Jeremy Corbyn says “I Condemn Violence Against All Civilians, Why Can’t Keir Starmer?”	Article	12 October 2023	Gaza Israel Israeli–Palestinian conflict Palestine Hamas Keir Starmer October 2023 Gaza−Israel conflict	In an interview with LBC, Keir Starmer was asked whether “cutting off power and water” to 2 million people, half of whom are children, was appropriate. He agreed that Israel “has that right”. Where is the empathy for Palestinians who have lost their loved ones, their homes and their futures? What happened to the universal application of international law?
Document:Jeremy Corbyn's Acceptance Speech 2013 Gandhi International Peace Award	Speech	9 January 2014	Israel Stop the War Coalition Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament Bruce Kent	Gandhi Award to a Man of Peace: Leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn
Document:Jeremy Corbyn's speech to the United Nations in full	Speech	8 December 2017	Israeli–Palestinian conflict Jerusalem Panama Papers Paradise Papers	Jeremy Corbyn at the United Nations in Geneva upstages Theresa May at the European Union in Brussels
Document:Jeremy Corbyn’s Coventry speech on Brexit in full	Speech	26 February 2018	Labour Party Brexit 2016 EU Referendum	"So I appeal to MPs of all parties, prepared to put the people’s interests before ideological fantasies, to join us in supporting the option of a new UK customs union with the EU, that would give us a say in future trade deals."
Document:South Africa’s Case Was a Display of International Solidarity - We Should Support It	Article	12 January 2024	Israel South Africa International Court of Justice Apartheid Occupied Palestinian Territory Genocide Convention Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh	At the International Court of Justice, South Africa spoke on behalf of the billions of people who oppose Israel's genocide in Gaza — and put Western governments to shame for their deplorable complicity.
Document:We've got news for the billionaire, tax exile press barons: Change is coming	Video	20 February 2018	Rupert Murdoch Jonathan Harmsworth Richard Desmond Barclay brothers	We've got news for the billionaire, tax exile press barons: Change is coming

 

Appointments by Jeremy Corbyn

Appointee	Job	Appointed	End
Dave Anderson	Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland	1 July 2016	14 June 2017
Dave Anderson	Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland	27 June 2016	14 June 2017
Jon Ashworth	Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care	7 October 2016	29 November 2021
Anneliese Dodds	Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury	3 July 2017	5 April 2020
Barry Gardiner	Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change	27 June 2016	8 October 2016
Barry Gardiner	Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade	20 July 2016	6 April 2020
Helen Goodman	Shadow Minister for Americas Far East and Overseas Territories	6 July 2017	12 December 2019
Clive Lewis	Shadow Secretary of State for Defence	27 June 2016	6 October 2016
Clive Lewis	Shadow Minister for the Treasury	12 January 2018	9 April 2020
Clive Lewis	Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy	6 October 2016	8 February 2017
Kate Osamor	Shadow Minister for Overseas Development	27 June 2016	1 December 2018
Lucy Powell	Shadow Secretary of State for Education	13 September 2015	26 June 2016
Jo Stevens	Shadow Secretary of State for Wales	7 October 2016	27 January 2017
Jo Stevens	Shadow Solicitor General	13 January 2016	6 October 2016

 

Related Quotation

Page	Quote	Author	Date
Ayesha Hazarika	“Whether we like it or not, we have to understand that the membership is still really into Jeremy Corbyn (as a recent Times poll confirmed) and that love-rush is going nowhere for a while. And we can’t just bypass the party as tempting as that may be. Because of the new rules, the members are the gatekeepers to the leadership – so there is no point in a kamikaze-like attempt at a coup. Yes, it would be interesting to watch but it would make the media and the Tories’ day but ultimately, it would be embarrassing and it would fail. And to be fair to Jeremy – he won. He won big. And just because we don’t like it, we can’t magically hoof him out when the rules and the membership are against that. Instead of getting bitter, we need to get better. Instead of holding out for a hero and trying to magic up a new leader, we need to go away and do all the boring difficult things we know we have to do but haven’t done for a long time.”	Ayesha Hazarika	23 May 2016

 

Employee on Wikispooks

Employee	Job	Appointed	End
James Schneider	Head of Strategic Communications	October 2016	December 2019

 

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References

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