Jeremy Corbyn

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Jeremy Corbyn anti-austerity union-backed Labour Party leadership contender

Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (born 26 May 1949) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington North since 1983.

Jeremy Corbyn is a candidate in the 2015 Labour Party leadership election alongside Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall. At a leadership hustings meeting in Cardiff on 5 July 2015 Jeremy Corbyn told 600 Welsh Labour Party members:

“Next week there is going to be a Budget. Osborne has already written it and the stories are leaking out. Inheritance tax is being removed for the very wealthy, benefits cut for the very poorest. Expenditure on education, on housing and other things will be further cut. We’ve got to be out on the streets from next Wednesday when this Budget comes out, saying to people... this is a strategy that is about greed, about inequality, about poverty.”

The country’s biggest trade union Unite has joined four others in backing the veteran MP Jeremy Corbyn, which has brought the prospect of the Labour Party being led by the staunchly anti-austerity candidate closer to reality.[1]

Early and personal life

Jeremy Corbyn attended Adams' Grammar School in Newport, Shropshire. He and his elder brother Piers Corbyn are the sons of David B. Corbyn a renowned expert in power rectifiers.[2]

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.[3] 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'[4]

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'.

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.[5] 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 was re-elected in 2015 with 60.24% of the vote, and a majority of 21,194.[6]

Economic issues

Jeremy Corbyn is a socialist, and a strong anti-poverty advocate. 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

He 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 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.[7] He is opposed to weapons of mass destruction.

Campaigns

He was 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).[8] He also campaigns against Apartheid in Israel. [9]

He is a long-standing supporter of a United Ireland, inviting Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams to London in 1984.[10][11] 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[12] 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[13] and in 2015 signed a motion calling for a ban on the importation of foie gras into the United Kingdom[14] and was a sponsor of a motion opposing the Yulin Dog Meat Festival.[15]

He was also a signatory to Michael Meacher's Climate Change Early Day Motion,[16] 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[17] 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.[18] He has been a sponsor of the March for Homes.[19]

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".[20]

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.

Rebellion

Since 2005 Jeremy Corbyn has defied the whip 238 times (25% of the time),[21] 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.[22]

Labour leadership bid, 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".[23] He achieved the 35th nomination required to be present on the ballot just before the noon deadline on 15 June 2015.[24]

Expenses

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'[25] He rents his constituency office from the Ethical Property Company.

Awards

Corbyn has won the Parliamentary Beard of the Year award a record five times, and the Beard of the Year, having described his beard as "a form of dissent" against New Labour.[26]

In January 2013, Corbyn was awarded the Grassroot Diplomat Initiative honour for his ongoing support for a number of non-government organisations and civil causes across the country.[27]

Also in 2013, he was awarded the Gandhi International Peace Award.[28]

References

  1. ↑ "Devolution, UKIP and immigration: What happened when the Labour leadership hustings came to Cardiff"
  2. ↑ "D. B. Corbyn". Microsoft Academic Search. Retrieved 20 June 2015.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "Scribunto").
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  4. ↑ Hattenstone, Simon. "Jeremy Corbyn: 'I don't do personal'". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 June 2015.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "Scribunto").
  5. ↑ "About me - Jeremy Corbyn MP". jeremycorbyn.org.uk. Retrieved 20 June 2015.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "Scribunto").
  6. ↑ "Jeremy Corbyn MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 3 June 2015.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "Scribunto").
  7. ↑ {{URL|example.com|optional display text}}
  8. ↑ Proctor, Kate (13 June 2015). "Labour MPs switch from Andy Burnham to left-winger Jeremy Corbyn in leadership race". Newcastle Evening Chronicle. Retrieved 20 June 2015.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "Scribunto").
  9. ↑ "MPs, actors, authors and musicians among 21,000 demanding arms embargo on Israel". Retrieved 23 June 2015.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "Scribunto").
  10. ↑ "Jeremy Corbyn". politics.co.uk. Retrieved 20 June 2015.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "Scribunto").
  11. ↑ {{URL|example.com|optional display text}}
  12. ↑ {{URL|example.com|optional display text}}
  13. ↑ "Early Day Motion 1255 - Pigeon Bombs". UK Parliament. 21 May 2004. Retrieved 20 June 2015.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "Scribunto").
  14. ↑ "Early Day Motion 136 - Importation of Foie Gras". UK Parliament. 16 June 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "Scribunto").
  15. ↑ "Early day motion 134 - Yulin Dog Meat Festival 2015". UK Parliament. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "Scribunto").
  16. ↑ "Early Day Motion 178 - Climate Change". UK Parliament. 24 May 2005. Retrieved 20 June 2015.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "Scribunto").
  17. ↑ "British MP Jeremy Corbyn Speaks out for Venezuela". teleSUR English. 5 June 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "Scribunto").
  18. ↑ "Letters: People's Assembly Against Austerity". The Guardian. 5 February 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2015.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "Scribunto").
  19. ↑ "Sponsors". marchforhomes.org. Retrieved 20 June 2015.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "Scribunto").
  20. ↑ Ghosh, Palash (12 July 2013). "Indian Caste System Imported To Britain? Dalits Say Yes, Upper Caste Hindus Say No". International Business Times. Retrieved 20 June 2015.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "Scribunto").
  21. ↑ "Voting Record for Jeremy Corbyn MP, Islington North (10133)". The Public Whip. 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "Scribunto").
  22. ↑ Eaton, George (26 January 2015). "The Labour left demand a change of direction - why their intervention matters". New Statesman. Retrieved 5 April 2015.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "Scribunto").
  23. ↑ "Labour leadership: Jeremy Corbyn enters race". BBC News Online. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "Scribunto").
  24. ↑ "Labour leadership: Jeremy Corbyn makes it on to ballot". BBC News. Retrieved 15 June 2015.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "Scribunto").
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  26. ↑ {{URL|example.com|optional display text}}
  27. ↑ {{URL|example.com|optional display text}}
  28. ↑ "GULLIVER: Jeremy Corbyn - An MP with 'Gandhian values'". Camden New Journal. Retrieved 20 June 2015.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "Scribunto").

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