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  • just a few days before voting begins to decide the next Labour leader.

  • We're in Dudley North, a Labour seats since its creation in 1997.

  • It was taken by the Conservatives in December as that Red Wall came tumbling down with us.

  • The candidates to be the next Labour leader, Rebecca Long Bailey.

  • She went to Catholic school in Chester on became a solicitor in the Northwest before her elections of Parliament five years ago.

  • Jeremy Corbyn, who she gave 10 out of 10 called her our candidate for leader care stammer.

  • He got into a state grammar school in Surrey, which went private.

  • While he was there, he became a barrister and then head of the Crown Prosecution Service, for which he was knighted.

  • Also elected in 2015.

  • Here's the current bookies.

  • Favorites to be leader Lisa Nandi went to comprehensive school in Manchester, worked in politics on the charity sector before her election 10 years ago.

  • Having failed to bring down Jeremy Corbyn's leadership in 2016 she says she now wants to bring labor home.

  • Thea, our audience tonight is made up of people who voted Labour at the last election, plus party members who will get a vote when the official ballot opens next Monday on.

  • We also have some former Labour voters who the next leader will need to win back if they have any hope of returning the party to power.

  • So let's hear from some of them now in you left labor of the last election.

  • Why?

  • What's the problem?

  • I think there was a failure.

  • Incredible leadership, the policies.

  • We're too fantastical.

  • Foreign policy felt anti Western too often.

  • And there's the culture of bullying within the Labour Party.

  • I'm interested.

  • Is former Labour voter about who's gonna get my vote back when you say lots of credible leader?

  • What do you mean?

  • I don't think the leader was authentic.

  • I don't think he was integral.

  • I don't think he was honest.

  • Okay, how about you?

  • Home?

  • The vein.

  • I have been a life longer labour supporter who sadly voted conservative this time because of Brexit.

  • I did it with a very heavy heart because my dad was a miner for 50 years Labour Councillor, I went into the ballot box and put the Exxon and said Sorry, Dad.

  • And so I want to know how you're gonna win me back.

  • Sorry, it's emotional for, isn't it?

  • Is emotionally.

  • It's very hard thing to do to, you know, you feel like a traitor to you.

  • It's a mining community.

  • I'm from Canada in the West Midlands.

  • So it's just you just feel awful.

  • But I was a slave outer, and I didn't get from the Labour Party that you were gonna have support me.

  • All right, well, let's see who can win you back.

  • Let's get our first question.

  • Who is for which is from Paul Knoll pulling?

  • Um, I'm a mental health nurse on a trade union rep over in Liverpool.

  • My question to you is, Are we going to be wise or learn from our mistakes?

  • Or would be or we try Corbin ism again?

  • Rebecca Long Bailey suffered one of the most devastating defeats that we've seen in 100 years, and we lost seats.

  • Light Lesson Dudley North on right across the West Midlands.

  • And there were many reasons for this defeat.

  • 52 out of 54 seats that we lost.

  • We leave seats.

  • What?

  • We also need to recognize the other myriad of reasons as to why are voters lost trust in ALS We had a transformational policies in that manifesto.

  • What, no message that brought them all together.

  • We weren't trusted on issues such as tackling anti Semitism, being united as a party.

  • And then there was dealing with media attacks against our leader and indeed, the policies themselves.

  • But ultimately there was Brexit, the elephant in the room.

  • No, I'm from a leave constituency, and I could feel the anger from my voters.

  • Many lead voters thought we were trying to overturn the results of the referendum and weren't respecting their wishes on at the same time.

  • We're playing games in Parliament instead of listening to our communities wanted.

  • We can't make that mistake again.

  • We saw that that lack of trust took down so many other things with it.

  • We were the party with the policies to make people's lives.

  • But Paul's asking you about Corbin is realised.

  • That Paul is asking about Corbin is, um, which bits of Corbin is, um, will you ditch in terms of the transformational policies?

  • I won't apologize for wanting to make my community's life better on the life of everyone else in the United Kingdom, but for our policies to succeed, we need to have a message that brings people together around aspiration abound, raising or everybody's quality of life.

  • And unfortunately I think in this election campaign we didn't explain our policies on, we didn't prove that we were trying to improve the quality of life.

  • Okay, kiss Tom.

  • Well, they ask the questions we've got to learn because we're all searching for the reason we lost the last general election.

  • We found a number of reasons from the audience that we can all take up and we will.

  • But we've lost four in a row.

  • We've lost four elections in a row.

  • And if we lose the next one probably in 2024 then of the Labour Party, our party will be out of power for a longer period than any time since the Second World War.

  • Now, if you're in the Labour Party, if you want to leave the Labor Party to change the lives of millions of people for the better, we gotta focus on winning that general election.

  • The full reasons that were given in the contributions earlier.

  • But before that, we're coming up on the doors.

  • If we're honest about it.

  • The leadership of the labour party fairly or unfairly, because I do think was a media campaign that vilified the leader of Labour Party.

  • Brexit came up.

  • Of course it did.

  • It came up in different ways, to be honest, because what was said in place like Dudley was different.

  • What was said in Scotland it was not your fault.

  • Money come back that the manifesto overload.

  • I think people work so much saying, I don't like what's in your manifest because there was some good stuff in it.

  • They just ought to have gone to a tipping point where they couldn't believe it.

  • And I'm very sad to say, particularly some areas.

  • Anti Semitism came up both as a values issue on a competency issue we gotta tackle or each of those.

  • But we've also got to recognize that none of those on their own explain why I've lost four in a row.

  • So it's actually an even deeper soul search.

  • I think thing just this idea identify one thing that went wrong in the last election.

  • It was always otherwise.

  • It was plain sailing.

  • I personally think is wrong.

  • It's a deeper soul searching that we need.

  • But you all say leadership came up.

  • You don't say what was wrong with it.

  • What was wrong with Jeremy Corbyn's leadership?

  • Well, I think firstly, I do think he was vilified in the press and certainly when I knocked on doors, what was coming back at me with some of that Philip he wasn't wrong, but now I'm not saying that.

  • What I'm saying is it came up and part of it came up with vilification.

  • But on Jeremy Corbyn, I think it's fair to say that what he brought to the Labour Party in 2015 was really important because he made it clear that we're a party that opposes cuts to public service is that his anti austerity on has a green new deal that's hard wired into everything we do on this, A tendency in political part of any organization.

  • When something goes wrong to say everything must be wrong, then we better forget it'll.

  • I personally think that's a mistake.

  • We build on the important foundations.

  • But the manifesto that really matters is the one in 2024 we'll get.

  • We must persuade people with that Lisa Nandi, will you leak organism behind?

  • Well, I think this is X essential for the Labour Party and I launch my campaign by saying We change or we die Not with any pleasure, but because I've heard the emotional outpouring that you just gave voice to so perfectly for 10 years now in my constituency and Wigan on, people are looking at us and saying This is really the last chance We've been losing for a long time.

  • 2010 2015 2017 But 2019 was no ordinary election.

  • Dudley Sandwell, Stoke.

  • Mansfield bowls over Get Ling.

  • These are places where labor runs through people's DNA as much as their family history.

  • On the fact that we got to the point where we were going around doors with people saying Not you, not now, not this time that we had people voting Tory in order to tell us that we had to change.

  • That was a really moment for us.

  • We have an unpopular leader that is true and we have an unpopular leadership team was unpopular.

  • He was unpopular for a number of reasons.

  • I think that the main underlying sense was that he just wasn't four people on.

  • He wouldn't stand up for people, but let me say this that that comes at the long end off a process that has been happening in the Labour Party for 40 years now.

  • For decades, what we've seen is industry disappearing from many towns across this country, young people having to leave the scars visible across our high streets and our communities.

  • And in the face of that, a political system that has largely shrugged it shoulders and said, This is progress.

  • I want you to know that I have heard you on.

  • I will make it my mission to bring labor home to you.

  • Pull you.

  • Are you hearing what you want to hear?

  • I am from leasing and I think we need to move it forward.

  • I was knocking on doors in West.

  • Well, Andi people were saying exactly the same.

  • It was just totally, totally disarmed on.

  • It did get quite got quite upsetting to know after street after Street, you're getting told that people didn't want to vote for Labour anymore.

  • Is there water policy that you would drop from this manifesto?

  • Well, there were a number of policies that weren't deliverable with your drop, there's not one that I would drop, and I'll explain why, Because there were policies that were deliverable within five years that would go into the manifesto.

  • So Green Industrial Revolution, for example, investing in our education service, what they were, all the policies that were part of a longer term vision.

  • So the four day week is a critical example of that would never have achieved that in five years.

  • It was a long term aspiration after we'd improve productivity through investing in an industrial strategy.

  • And when we've secured trade union representation in our workplace is what put it in the manifesto on packaging it in a way that we could deliver it under the next government confused people.

  • And I think that's why we need t packaging.

  • Exactly.

  • Think the way that we package our policies.

  • But I just want to come back on a point that that's been made about continuing.

  • Corbin is, um, I would say this to any labor vote for Labour Party member.

  • There's no such thing is Corbin is, um, there's our labor values.

  • We believe in building more council homes.

  • Investing in our future is through education and industrial strategy.

  • That's socialism.

  • That's not corporatism.

  • We shouldn't throw away those policy holder question now from Tameka Smith is from Birmingham.

  • Uh, Father mignon for Caroline Flax death.

  • What do you think that says by modern Britain?

  • Kistane was it?

  • What do you think of modern Britain?

  • I did following on from Caroline.

  • Flax.

  • Death?

  • Yes.

  • What did you think it says about modern Britain?

  • Well, I think, firstly, it's tragic, and all of our thoughts, I think, have to go to her friends and her family.

  • I think it really shook the whole day.

  • Shit.

  • I think it tells us a lot about social media and about the media.

  • There is just yards of abuse on social media, and it's about time that those that provide the platform took responsibility for what's on it.

  • This has been going on a long time.

  • There's abuse, this hatred.

  • And it's not only Caroline's case, there are youngsters that are committing suicide as well because of what's on social media now.

  • I worked when I was director of public prosecutions.

  • We were trying to persuade social media to take responsibility, and the response was, unless it's to do with terrorism, we're not gonna do so.

  • That has got to change now on.

  • I think the mainstream media as well has to stop amplifying it because they have bean amplifying it.

  • So I think this this shines a torch really into the soul of the nation in terms of how we interact with each other on social media.

  • There have been many questions about why the CPS was prosecuting her when her former partner wasn't supporting that prosecution as a former head of public prosecutions, can you explain that now?

  • Of course I can't, because I've not being the director of public prosecutions for 10 years, but she had no idea what I'm not gonna make the mistake.

  • 10 years out of office of now commenting on a file I've never seen in the circumstance, I don't know, I'm also not gonna make mistake of attributing whatever this was behind this tragedy toe.

  • One thing I don't know why this happened, and I don't want to pretend.

  • I know.

  • Should anyone look into that?

  • Well, of course.

  • I mean, I'm sure that will be an inquest and people will look into it.

  • But But one thing I one thing I think is wrong with people in all sorts of walks of life did this They do a job and then 5 10 years.

  • 15 years later, they pretend they know what was on the file of a person is looking at the moment, and that's the wrong thing to do, but also that there's a wide range of possible reasons why this tragedy happened.

  • And I'm not gonna presume.

  • But it's one and not the other.

  • This is tragic, and I and for the family, I think the last thing they want is people like me coming on pontificating about what may or may not have Bean.

  • Let's just give him the space they need to grieve.

  • Of course, there will be an investigation into what what happened and rightly so.

  • But let's just be a bit human about this Theo on Bear in mind that her former management company have been very critical off that particular topic, which is why we're raising Yeah, well, let me support care on that, because I don't I didn't know Caroline, and I don't want to speculate will make anything worse for her family.

  • I've had deaths in my constituency offered in very difficult circumstances over the last 10 years, and the last thing people need is me speculating what I will say is that there is.

  • It is very difficult to be in public life at the moment because there is an unkindness that's cracked into our public debate that I think is detrimental to all of us on.

  • Actually, that isn't just felt in public life.

  • It's also felt by a lot of people living out their lives in our communities.

  • So a few years ago, there was a case of a mom with the sun with disabilities who felt she had no choice but to kill herself and her son on It turned out in that case that they've been sustained bullying and harassment off that family for a long time, with very little support.

  • So I think we need to do two things.

  • The first is that we need to step in and provide much greater support to people across this country.

  • We all go through hard times in our lives.

  • We're all gonna need extra help.

  • We need to be really clear that that is not a weakness.

  • Asking for help is a strength on when you ask.

  • You get that support and secondly, I think we need to start challenging the public discourse in this country.

  • It's not just that is abusive and all kind.

  • It's also that we found multiple ways in the last decade to divide ourselves from each other, were a better country then that would have us believe Let's pull together and move forward together.

  • Rebecca Bailey Theo.

  • Specific things government should do about this beyond exhorting people to be better people.

  • Definitely.

  • And I don't want to comment on the case of Caroline other than to say that I'm shocked and that my thoughts are with friends and family.

  • I know they wanted their privacy to be respected, but there's a huge issue toe look are in terms of online bullying and social media companies on the way that the press, certainly the tabloids respond to that and amplify that.

  • I think we need to ensure that the government puts pressure on the social media companies to tackle online abuse on their platforms.

  • But I also think that the government needs to press ahead with the second stage of the Levenson inquiry about examining the role of the media within society in a free press, but also holding ethical and moral principles.

  • And you know what?

  • Say this because we have become, and certainly not in our interactions physically with each other, but certainly online.

  • We became quite an oppressive society.

  • When you look at the likes of Twitter, I love the whole ream of stuff to read.

  • When I go online later on, that probably shouldn't look at what it costs.

  • Nothing to be kind.

  • And that comes from leadership, both in government and both in public life.

  • We're better than that.

  • We know that's not what our society represents.

  • How do you feel when you go online and read that?

  • Sometimes it's funny.

  • Some people obsessed with my eyebrows.

  • One guy did a ruler, a picture of my eyebrows and a rule because I've got quite expressive eyebrows and said, Look how far away Rebecca's eyebrows off my face.

  • I just want Thio pick up on what Beckett say because it is report this hatred.

  • This division actually also puts people off, putting themselves forward to do anything in public life.

  • So many people I know, so I'm not going to step up and do anything because I fear this abuse in this hatred.

  • And so it isn't only corrosive on divisive in itself when bitter, it really affect people leads two suicides, and actually, it puts good people off.

  • Put themselves forward when it means that we don't have all the talent we should have in all the places.

  • We should have them.

  • Okay, we must move on.

  • Go on to another topic that has really gripped this Labour leadership debate.

  • Perhaps surprisingly, the questions for Maura Hampton, who's from Leicester on.

  • He says she voted Labour in every election since 1979.

  • Thank you.

  • Does the trans rates issue potentially?

  • Could it possibly lead to division on dhe possible alienation of female voters?

  • Is it just perhaps another issue of unity?

  • Listen, Andy, you have signed this pledge round that is very controversial.

  • And this weekend at a meeting, you were asked, Would a person convicted off child rape who now identifies is a woman be better in a female prison?

  • And you said yes.

  • Yeah, well, I said that people have the right to self define on that if you self defined, then you have the right to be in the prison that matches your gender.

  • But what you don't have the right to do is put other people at risk of harm We've never had violent offenders allowed to be in prison with nonviolent offenders putting them at risk on.

  • Actually, I think this is a really important moment for us as a party, because I represent a constituency in Wigan with a very high rate of domestic violence.

  • I understand clearly and loudly the need of women in this country for safe spaces, not just when they're at immediate risk, but for a lot of the women that I represent, because they will always feel at times at risk of harm.

  • And this is important on when I worked for the charity Centrepoint, we spent a lot of time grappling with the issues of how we got not just the policies but the practices in place to keep the young people in our hostiles safe from people who would want to harm them.

  • But I do know, except that this has to become a zero sum gain against the rights off people who I also represent in Wigan Ah, young person going through the gender recognition at process at the moment who was being bullied and stigmatized, whose family Every time I see them, I'm not sure we're going to survive for much longer with very little support, who need every ounce of empathy and compassion that I cannot say.

  • It isn't transphobic toe once, um, water called safe spaces for women that exclude trans women who identify as women but who may still have male genitalia, for example.

  • It's not at all transphobic to want safe spaces on.

  • We have to take the heat out of this conversation and cast a little more light on it.

  • For most people, there will be ways of providing safe spaces that are inclusive on.

  • We can navigate our way through the complexities of this in a way that is decent and respectful to all sides.

  • But let me just say this is a sign that let me let sorry, Christian, let me just say this is well, is that there's been a tendency in the Labour Party and actually in public debate, generally in recent years to go straight from 0 to 60 at the beginning of a debate and say, This is here.

  • This is their You pick a side on dhe.

  • Whichever side you're on, we're gonna argue it out until one side wins and the other side is crushed.

  • We are better than that as a party on part of me standing for the leadership of this party is about standing up for the level of public debate we deserve.

  • We can do better than this, right?

  • The U.

  • N Rebecca Long Bailey, have signed a pledge that supports the expulsion from the Labour Party.

  • Of those who expressed bigoted transphobic views on it defines various organizations such as Woman's Place, which calls for women say spaces as transphobic.

  • So, So that kind of kind of just a dress up with directly because I think there are people in those organizations who will be perfectly considered and respectful towards others.

  • And the only bit of that pledge that gave me pause for thought was about prescribing organizations.

  • It's individual behavior that matters on if you, if you are someone who wants to have a challenging discussion about providing safe spaces, that is absolutely right.

  • Welcome that in the party.

  • But if you're someone who denies the right of trans people to exist, then no meaningful dialogue is possible.

  • Rebecca Long baby.

  • These organizations want safe spaces what they described.

  • Do you think that they should be expelled from the labour party.

  • But all know when there's no incompatibility with trying to stand up for the rights of trans people and trying to stand up for the rights of women, on protecting them in safe spaces that that is enshrined under the equality of the rules, to change that in any way.

  • But what we have been talking about in this debate and I want to take the toxicity help of this is recognizing he often long and dehumanizing process that many of our trunks community have to go to in order to identify as either a trans man or a trans woman on that relates to the Gender Recognition Act and making that process last dehumanizing.

  • Kistane, the trans community have been subject to abuse, and vilification comes off the back of the topic.

  • We were just discussing for a long time, and the Labour Party stands against abuse and vilification of any part of our community.

  • Trans rights are human rights.

  • The Gender Recognition Act was a step in the right direction, but it's clear that we need to go further than that other countries have gone further on.

  • I think we can go further, but we're not gonna make progress here.

  • If we treat this as a political football batted around by different parts within our party or the wider movement, we owe it to the trans community and to everybody else to grow up on this and have a better debate about how we go forward.

  • Why did you not sign this particular pledge that the other two have?

  • What did you see is a problem and I signed the LGBT plus the labor pledge on this, which I thought pitched it right on.

  • I don't want this to be a political football.

  • I'm not suggesting those behind the other pledge got anything other than the best of intentions.

  • Do you think there's anything wrong with that other place that you didn't sign?

  • You're tempting me to do the very thing I'm saying.

  • We shouldn't do that.

  • This is a really seriously the choice about which pledged to sign and I'm trying to work out.

  • This is a very serious issue with a community that clearly need the law to be extended a better protection.

  • Let's have a proper debate about that.

  • Rather, who signed which pledge that isn't helping in this debate, it treating it as if they're attunement three.

  • This pledge, as you know, is controversial.

  • Thought this question of expulsion, but I wonder whether that's why you didn't sign it.

  • I'm not gonna get into this.

  • Slept through, slide the slope where they were in conflict with each other.

  • We are running positively as candidates to lead the Labour Party.

  • We're trying not to take lumps out of each other on attack each other publicly.

  • If we can do that, I think that stands or probably.

  • But it stands a good what people in what happy party.

  • Our movement, I think our country want is a united Labor Party that looks like it could go into government.

  • If we could model that in the way we treat each other in these debates on DDE in this leadership contest, I think that is a good thing.

  • It's a tribute.

  • I would say both of the other candidates that we've managed to do that so far.

  • Let's find out what a couple of people in the audience make of this.

  • How about you?

  • What do you think about this particular issue on trans rights?

  • I believe that's a space of a woman of really important enough to say that trans people in trans women don't deserve to be protected.

  • But I feel like if we're taking away from women in the probably not gonna go to speak out and a lot more cases of domestic violence and sexual assault, one gold reported.

  • What about you?

  • As a Labour Party member, I would just like clarity from cares to why he didn't sign the pledge.

  • Well, I think he sees said why he's not going to address that particular questions so we won't go back to We'll leave it there for now.

  • Thank you very much indeed.

  • Well, let's hear from two people now who want to question the candidates on the subject of money First Peter Last word.

  • A lifelong labour voter from established pieces.

  • Hello.

  • Where would your key economic policies differ if it's all from those in the last Labour Manifesto?

  • Okay, and related to that Katarina gone?

  • Culver's is a student from Reg.

  • Thank you.

  • What is your plan to tackle the wealth gap between the rich and poor, kissed him?

  • Let me take the first question.

  • And then the 2nd 1 I think in the last manifesto we had a lot about solidarity on the Labour Party stands for solidarity with people who need our solidarity and rightly so.

  • But I don't think we had enough about opportunity.

  • We characterized everybody is either the 1% of the top, the elite, rigging everything, all those with absolutely nothing on.

  • There's a vast gap in between.

  • On it's called opportunity and that is the labor dream.

  • My dad worked in a factory, my mom was a nurse, and the labor dream for them was that the next generation would have better opportunities.

  • But I think that we need to rebuild that part of our narrative, our core message to people, because I think they for years and years and years that sustained the Labour Party this sense that the next generation would have better opportunities and it slipped away in the last 10 years.

  • So far is the second question is concerned.

  • We're one of the wealthiest countries in the world, and yet the economy clearly isn't working for people.

  • It clearly isn't.

  • You've got insecure jobs, low paid jobs, you've got regional inequality, which is really, really deep on what we're doing with our economy is damaging the environment and that has to be tackled head on by an incoming labor government by saying, This got to bay a fundamental shift of power, resource and opportunity on dhe.

  • I would make that central to my economic thinking.

  • Listen, and I think if you want to make this sort of fundamental change that I do in this country where you have proper public service is and people who don't fear growing old or their parents growing old without dignity or care, then you have to be honest with people about how you're gonna pay for it.

  • And we all stood on a manifesto that said, We have put 5% on the top rate of in contacts That seems right to me that those who can pay the most do so.

  • But actually, if you look at where the wealthy put their money, it's in assets.

  • So a very, very minimum.

  • We ought to be saying that will bring wealth taxes into line with income taxes so we don't just keep squeezing working people.

  • Secondly, I think we need a different relationship with business.

  • I said this week that I wanted to introduce a social license for business because how can it possibly be that you have workers in Dunfermline sleeping intense who work for Amazon While last week Jeff Bezos bought 100 $65 million mansion with his loose change, we've got to support good businesses who do make a contribution who do tackle climate change, who do support their workforce by introducing a social license so that those who don't face pet real penalties for it.

  • And finally, we've got to do something about the hidden poverty taxes in this country.

  • It costs more to be poor for your insurance, for your credit rating.

  • Just even tow access Euromoney through a cash machine.

  • It costs far more to be poor, so we've got to commit this from both ends and show people that we're there for them at the most difficult times of their lives.

  • You know, I was on the train on the way here tonight and it was talking to a young lad sat next to me from Lancaster, and he was going all the way down to the South Coast.

  • He was about 20 and he got a job as an electrician's on a rig, and he was so excited it was realizing his aspirations and they got off the train and I was dead happy for him.

  • And then I got really depressed because his story isn't true of many people here in Dudley.

  • I think unemployment is twice the national rate.

  • At the moment, qualification rates are below national average.

  • We've got the most regional, regionally unequal country in the whole of Western Europe.

  • Our economy is not working.

  • So of all the candidates, I've got a plan to fix that I've talked about having a real and comprehensive industrial strategy to re industrialize places like the West Midlands and create the jobs of the future.

  • Have talked about invested in homes, council homes and private homes to spur on the renewed prosperity that we need to see.

  • I've talked about cradle to grave education service to make sure that whatever age you are wherever you are in life, you have the opportunity to aspire and to do well in life there, the foundations of revitalizing our economy.

  • And that's the only way we'll see prosperity increase here in the United Kingdom.

  • Just like along baby really have something over you on this.

  • And she's suggesting she's the one with the plans.

  • No, I don't think so.

  • I think we're all putting forward our plans.

  • And what we're saying is that the case we're making is what we think is right for our party, our movement and for our country.

  • Of course, there's a massive overlap.

  • If you taken issue like Amazon earning, I think £10.9 billion in revenue last year in paying 2% tax.

  • I suspect the three of us are going to say that the same thing about it that you think you have to agree with each other on the could I could.

  • I say where I think there is a difference because I agree with care.

  • I think on all of those things we do fundamentally agree.

  • But I've spent the last 10 years, including the last three off the front bench in the country, trying to build a plan back for places like Dudley on.

  • Actually, I think there is farm or going for Dudley, then you just heard.

  • I think there is huge potential here, really.

  • Assets lot leave the warmth and the pride on the skill and the commitment of the people in this community which matches my home in Wigan on what I want to see is not just a plan conceived and executed by a small group of people behind a desk in central London, but really power going out to those areas so that we can decide for ourselves where that investment goes, how that money is spent and get the jobs in here that we need waken talk about the ills of our broken economic model and what needs to change.

  • But we need to have a comprehensive plan because it's not enough talking about a plan.

  • You have to have worked out the details, and I've spent the last four years working behind the scenes on that detail, whether it was our greed, industrial revolution, whether it was our industrial strategy, a plan for our steel sector investing in our automotive industry, I was creating the jobs of the future.

  • And I'm devastated that we didn't win this general election because I know that prospects for people here in Dudley would have been very different.

  • So what they are today?

  • Um, right.

  • I just want to get onto some quickfire questions very briefly about policy and a couple of other things as well.

  • That might shed a little bit of light on where you're coming from on on some of those other issues.

  • So we'll go from Rebecca first.

  • Would you de criminalize cannabis?

  • No, but I think we need to have a conversation national about this because the no is fine.

  • Okay, So what are two words?

  • Kiss Dharma, Would you decriminalized cannabis?

  • I wouldn't immediately.

  • I have supported schemes where cannabis possession is not arrested.

  • You're not arrested for you prosecute for a night.

  • I believe in that.

  • No, let's have a proper review.

  • Thank you.

  • Yes or no?

  • You know or not.

  • Yes or no.

  • But one word in a referendum on keeping the monarchy.

  • Would you vote to keep it or scrappers?

  • Lisa Nandi.

  • Well, I'm a Democrat, so I would vote to scrap it.

  • But actually, let me just say I know it's a good thing.

  • This is not the priority is a country we've just lost.

  • Left you without any kind of good about where we go.

  • We get that.

  • It's not top priority in the reference Kissed?

  • Um, no, I wouldn't.

  • I think I downsized.

  • And by the way, it didn't come up on the doorsteps.

  • We've been talking about why we left.

  • Why we lost the election.

  • What we need to do next.

  • This isn't one of priorities for the leader.

  • Labour Party.

  • Rebecca Bailey got more important things to worry about, so Yeah, but how would you vote?

  • I wouldn't.

  • Monica, you wouldn't vote to abolish the monarchy.

  • I'd quite like to see Queen Meghan.

  • It's okay.

  • This is a yes or no.

  • Would you still provide free broadband for all kissed Mama?

  • See the problem with these?

  • Yes.

  • No, I mean, they really are.

  • Because behind that question lies something massive, which is for 10 years.

  • There's been an ambition to have broadband across the United Kingdom, and it hasn't happened.

  • Something needs to be done about it.

  • So we need a more grown up debate about this than just Yes.

  • No rapid fire.

  • Quite.

  • Theo comes down to yes or no whether you put it that way.

  • Go on.

  • Strike free broadband.

  • All knows I'm rubbish at these.

  • Yes, no questions.

  • I think that one of your policies you want well, I agree with the broadband policy because we're investing in upgrading our economy and improving productivity.

  • And as a result, we were including people who couldn't afford broadband.

  • So I do support the principal, but I think we need to explain it better to our voters.

  • Police in London Digital infrastructure is really, really central in this country.

  • When my friends come to visit me from London, they just cannot believe that I have to go and stand at the end of our road to get a signal.

  • So and I think it's a really important policy.

  • But let's remember the language of priorities as I'd start with bosses before broadband.

  • But he's not a baby.

  • Fine.

  • Last one on.

  • I want a name for this.

  • Who is the greatest labor leader of the last 50 years?

  • Rebecca Long Bailey, who?

  • I don't know.

  • I mean, obviously have to say Clement Atlee because it was the transformation of Labour government.

  • Oh, I don't know.

  • But since 1910 pay was Frankel on, I'll give you that.

  • It was the MP for Soul.

  • You don't have an answer, Okay, Kiss untended to G O for Wilson because he managed to get all of the party to come in behind him and united and I think we need a bit of that going forward.

  • Labor leaders have brought things to our party that matter in different ways and that I mean, well, I think we're gonna go on strike for yes way.

  • Greatest labor leader of last 50 years that since 19 seventies Know Clement Atley.

  • Well, I'm hoping that we're about to elect her in a few weeks time.

  • Wait for the greatest labor leader.

  • That never was Barbara Castle.

  • Okay?

  • Were mentioning everybody that, of course, in the Ashcroft pole, off Labour members.

  • They said it was generally Corbin on off ordinary voters.

  • They said it was Tony Blair.

  • Two names that didn't come up it all from our three leadership candidates.

  • I want to hear from the audience.

  • Now we've got in our audience people who were labour voters but who deserted the party at the last election.

  • What do you make of what you're hearing?

  • Graham, You left labor last election.

  • I've waited Lib, dem!

  • This time on Dhe.

  • Frankly, it was because of the leadership.

  • And I really did think that you are not gonna win anyway.

  • But are you hearing anything to have heard from the three candidates tonight?

  • All very good candidates, But I'm looking for the candidate who's going to once they've bean elected, move towards the center.

  • Because that is where the votes are there.

  • Not hard on the left, there in the center.

  • So I'm wondering which one of those three is going to do that.

  • I think I think it scares Dharma, but that's personal.

  • Thank you.

  • Well, do you wanna just briefly, isn't you care?

  • Storm, are you?

  • The person is gonna move the party back to the center.

  • I'm the person that wants to unite our party to be the most effective opposition we can possibly be.

  • And to forge our path to victory at the next general election on then my three priorities so that we can actually win this country and change this country for the better, which I suspect and I hope would persuade you to vote labour again.

  • Okay.

  • How about you?

  • You also left the party lost in action?

  • Yes, I did.

  • That's the first time I have ever boated.

  • No.

  • Love them and label.

  • This is not just me.

  • Lot of the Asians around our Sandoval a d a.

  • Tom Watson A via the main issue was empty Semitism.

  • Can I get a commitment from you?

  • That that's gonna be your first priority to sort that out.

  • That has upset every community.

  • Theo Yes, came upon every door that I knocked on a cz well in many different constituencies around the country.

  • And the reason, I think, is because it's X essential for the Labour Party with the party that gave this country the Race relations act.

  • If we want to go out and build a more compassionate, fairer, equal society free from discrimination, we have to live those values ourselves.

  • Absolutely.

  • Take your point and we got this on the doorstep.

  • If you're anti Semitic, you shouldn't be in the Labour Party.

  • It's a simple as that on if I were a leader.

  • If I ever leave her late party, don't make it my personal responsibility to deal with this because leadership makes a massive difference in this.

  • If the leader of the party takes a clear stand and says, I want to see the cases on my desk, a random pick organization, I know what it's like when you have a line of sight on something that really matters, and I make it my business to move this on on.

  • Also to rebuild the relations with the Jewish Rebecca, because we have to do that before we get an audience to be able to talk about anything else.

  • Last skate believable.

  • This in Frankel on who I said was my favorite MP.

  • So it was devastating in this election campaign to knock on doors and find that many within the Jewish community just didn't trust us anymore on I hope that all of us and I think we all will will take robust action and anti Semitism because we haven't dealt with it properly within the party.

  • We've got to adopt all of the HR sees recommendations when they report back to the party.

  • I think we need to have an independent complaints process for all forms of discrimination, not just anti Semitism, that speeds the process open that people have faith in on.

  • I think that we need to rebuild trust by educating our membership on this issue, on also reaching out to the Jewish community and their organization.

  • Just on this very briefly did either of you were served in the shadow Cabinet?

  • Consider resigning over this matter, and if not, why not?

  • I mean, you think what Jeremy Corbyn tried to introduce was anti Semitic.

  • Why didn't you resign over this?

  • I thought that what he was trying to introduce anti Semitic.

  • Yeah, the quotation that was put to you about Israel, the foundation of Israel being a racist.

  • And that well, that was because I have looked at what Jeremy actually said.

  • Saying that Israel is a racist endeavor is anti Semitic under the IRA definition, the actions of any government and saying that their policies of races is a different story.

  • The British government, in their treatment of the wind rush generation, for example, that's a racist thief.

  • I took the decision that I had to speak out against it publicly, which I did and speak out against it in the shadow cabinet, which I did.

  • And I think that's very important.

  • Least of course, was outside of the shadow cabinet.

  • She spoke up against it publicly.

  • I did both actually spoke up against me when I was in the shadow cabinet on One of the reasons that I didn't return to the Shadow Cabinet is because I got the very strong impression from the leadership of the party that we were not gonna take this seriously when I was forced to choose.

  • I stood with the Jewish community in solidarity because that was the right thing to do the's something.

  • And I work for the N h s.

  • A long time ago, I also worked in residential, and I now give my time.

  • So the homeless, by cooking them a hot meal on.

  • You know, it is terrible to know that people in this country which is so rich and there's some lovely people in this country, we need toe work with each other on the main thing that is lucky is communication.

  • We need to go back to the community and see how it worked in the beginning.

  • And if it takes, doesn't matter how long on doesn't matter who Whether you're a man or a woman or you come from the North Pole, this is what we need to do to get our country going.

  • Thank Thank you very much indeed.

  • Um, it's gonna have to be a quick Yes, we've spoken rightfully a lot about antisemitism, but what about the right to the Palestinian people?

  • And I want to hear what you guys think of that.

  • We're gonna have to be briefed on this rights of the Palestinian people one second.

  • Sorry, Christian world.

  • Revolting.

  • It's frustrating.

  • I know, I know.

  • OK, so I've been the vice chair and chair of labor, Friends of Palestine in the Middle East For eight of the 10 years that I've been in Parliament on, it has never been impossible to stand up for the rights of the Palestinian people whilst not being anti Semitic.

  • That is the plain truth.

  • You can do both.

  • You can stand for a two state solution for the right to the Palestinians and for the right of Israel to exist.

  • Can I just say this as well, though, that this contribution just there is exactly the country that I believe in, and it's the country that I know we are and we can be.

  • And we are a better country than Boris Johnson would have us believe.

  • That is why labor has to go out with boldness and ambition and courage because we know we're better than this and we got to take the fight out into the country.

  • When the argument get into government and change this situation for good, we could stand up and we should stand up the Palestinian rights on that can perfectly well be done without being anti Semitic.

  • Thes two things are not in conflict on the suggestion that they are is just wrong, I think.

  • But you're absolutely right to raise this because we do have a disperses dispossessed of Palestinian people.

  • We have an insecure Israel, and I don't think anybody can pretend that this is a state of affairs that is possibly right in the world on.

  • We need to do something about it.

  • I did just also want to comment on your contribution of Thank you so much for that.

  • Just about the spirit in which we have to come together, but also with you.

  • I mean, because I owe that.

  • I figured the community that the challenge for our party the immediate challenge is whether we can pull together, stop taking lumps out of each other, stop dividing and actually recognized the incredible force.

  • We are with 580,000 members, the biggest political party in Europe.

  • What an unstoppable force we could pay if we united.

  • As as that fighting force ready to fight that next year.

  • Election theme for the rights of Palestinians is the right thing for our party to dio we've always done that.

  • And I believe in a secure is veil alongside a viable state of Palestine.

  • But I also think that the conflict must be settled on the basis of international law, human rights and social justice.

  • 80% of Palestinians, a reliant on humanitarian aid.

  • So we should continue calling for an end to the blockade and the illegal settlements that we see in the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza on will never apologize for standing up for the rights of Palestinian people.

  • But at no point should ever be conflated with anti Semitism.

  • They should always be two separate issues.

  • No, I'm very sorry.

  • We are out of time.

  • We're gonna have to leave it.

  • I'd like to thank our audience here in Dudley for their questions and their attendants and their respects for everyone in the room.

  • Thank you to our candidates who joined us here in Dudley.

  • Voting to decide which one of them becomes leader starts next Monday.

  • The result will be revealed on April, the fourth from all of us here.

just a few days before voting begins to decide the next Labour leader.

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