Barbara McSweeney shares news of this event taking place next Wednesday. Ed
Labour Party members and supporters keen to see Jeremy Corbyn re-elected Leader of the Labour Party are to hold a ‘Re-elect Jeremy’ event, at the Riverside Centre, Newport, on Wednesday 27 July.
The meeting, which starts at 7.30pm and is organised by Island members of national Momentum, the grassroots network that supports Jeremy Corbyn as Party leader, is the first step in launching a local campaign to help Mr Corbyn see off a challenge by Owen Smith MP, a former lobbyist and an advisor to Tony Blair.
All Labour Party members are welcome to attend the meeting, as are Labour Party supporters who do not belong to another party.
Largest political party on the Isle of Wight
Labour now has more than 1,000 members on the Island, making it the Island’s largest political party.
Most of these are new members who flocked to the party over the last year.
Isle of Wight Labour voted overwhelmingly to support Mr Corbyn in last year’s leadership contest, and at their recent AGM members voted 45 to 16 with some abstentions to reaffirm support for Mr Corbyn and to call on the Parliamentary Labour Party to halt the leadership contest.
Events replaces banned constituency meeting
All but essential constituency and branch meetings across the country have been banned by Labour’s National Executive Committee for the duration of the leadership contest, but meetings, such as this one, organised informally by supporters of Jeremy Corbyn, are taking place across the country.
The name of the Party Leader, chosen by members who joined before 12 January this year together with people who paid £25 this week to become a Registered Supporter, will be announced on 24 September.
A voice for change
Labour Cllr Geoff Lumley, Newport East, said:
“Jeremy is a voice for change both inside the Labour Party and in the country as a whole, and it’s amazing to see how people have responded to him. Labour Party membership on the Island has increased four-fold in the last year; they see someone who genuinely cares about working people and their families, who genuinely believes that people are more important than profits.
“Like Jeremy, I came into politics to stand up against injustice, and I share his view that what holds people back today – and that includes people on the Isle of Wight – are inequality, neglect, insecurity, prejudice and discrimination.
“I believe a Corbyn-led Government can deal with these issues and move us towards a society in which everyone – not just the lucky few – benefits from opportunity and prosperity.”
