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  • MODERATOR: Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome

  • to the Labour Leadership Hustings 2020.

  • Thank you, everyone very much and welcome to the South West

  • Hustings, this morning.

  • My name is DianaCornell and I will be moderating the hustings

  • today and keeping the candidates in check.

  • I want to say welcome to all of you and particularly to our

  • leadership candidates for coming to the south west, it's a

  • beautiful part of the world with its own challenges.

  • We do hear a lot about the north of the country, but obviously

  • Labour needs to win here as well.

  • (APPLAUSE) I just want to say... I will go through the running

  • order and the way it will work, some of you will be familiar

  • with that, who have watched it live already on Facebook, but I

  • want to say before I start, that I am the

  • leader of Stroud District Council, it's one of only four

  • councils led by Labour

  • in the south west. And it is worth remembering that Labour is

  • still in Government locally and our councils across the south

  • west are pioneering councils that are unV8ing in

  • ways, for example, in housing and climate change, reaching

  • carbon neutrality, I must say in Bristol and Plymouth and

  • particularly in Stroud we have local elections in May and it's

  • really crucial and I have invited our candidates to come

  • and campaign with us,

  • because we really need their support. So, I have a little

  • script here, just to run through, so you are familiar

  • with the proceedings. It's quite well-organised, so this event

  • gives you all as members as chance to ask candidates

  • questions on the issues that matter most to us as Labour

  • voters affiliate members and supporters. The aim of

  • guidelines I will follow is to ensure the event fair to all the

  • candidates and they are treated equally. Earlier on in the green

  • room I went through the questions you have submitted,

  • there is a fantastic range of questions and it was a challenge

  • to select some of them, but I hope we have agreed on a broad

  • range of topics also with a flavour for where we are in

  • south west as well. Each of the candidates will have 40 seconds

  • to answer the question and a further 40 seconds, it's not a

  • lot, but if you are a good politician you can say

  • a lot in 40 seconds and a further 40 seconds to answer any

  • follow up questions I might ask. They do have a timer down there

  • and I know sometimes they are naughty and try to go over, but

  • I will tray to make sure they stick to it, because if we stick

  • to the time it means we get as many questions in as possible

  • and I think that is only fair. Candidates are also respond to

  • any points other candidates have made and I will make sure that

  • candidates have an equal amount of time to do so. I will be

  • putting your questions to the candidates on your behalf and I

  • want to thank you for submitting so many. Before we came out on

  • stage the candidates drew lots to decide which one of them will

  • stand at which podium, so the candidate behind podium number

  • one which is Emily Thornberry, will answer the first question

  • first and going down the line they will each answer the

  • question in turn and then we will keep it going, so each time

  • a different person answers first, if that makes sense. I

  • have a grid hear to remind me of how we are going to do that!

  • Sounds complicated, but it will be fine. Each question will be

  • asked to every candidate, we won't have opening statements,

  • we will go straight into the

  • first question, but candidates will be finishing off with a

  • statement. I would ask you to treat the candidates with

  • respect and also, obviously the candidates treat each other with

  • respect, I think the hustings so far have been conducted in a

  • really good way and we do obviously want you to share your

  • appreciation and support in the usual way, because I am sure

  • this matters a lot to us. But can we ask that we don't have

  • too much extended clapping because the more clapping we

  • have, the less we are going to fit in, we really want to get a

  • lot of questions in. So, without further ado, let's get started.

  • So aim going to start with Emily, I have a question here to

  • get us going, so

  • this is a question about football from Bristol South. I

  • am going to read this question and for anyone who I know

  • personally don't be offended, this is not my question. Given

  • that we are in Ashton Gate, home of the greatest football team in

  • the

  • world, Bristol City FC, not my question, I am just reading it,

  • I was wondering what the candidates favourite football

  • chant is, Emily?

  • EMILY:

  • EMILY: So, I represent Arsenal, that is my constituency and I

  • will tell you that

  • I am therefore an Arsenal supporter, but I don't care

  • about football! I am sorry I really don't.

  • I know I am supposed to and I know politician are supposed to,

  • but you know what I am a girlie and I have other things I spend

  • my time thinking about and I am sorry guys, I know there are

  • some women who support football teams as well and I do support

  • Arsenal and I will go to the games and I am pleased we do

  • well, but in the end, aim interested in other things!

  • MODERATOR: Thank you, Emily, Lisa.

  • LISA: This is a very anti-rugby league question. I don't think

  • we should accept this

  • level level of division in the Labour Party.

  • My step dad was a livelong Bury FC fan,

  • his last words just before he MODERATOR: Thank you, Emily,

  • Lisa. LISA: This is a very anti-rugby

  • league question. I don't think we should accept this level of

  • division in the Labour Party. My step dad was a livelong Bury FC

  • fan, his last words just before he died to my step brother were

  • "what is the score? " When the stadium closed down a few

  • years ago it was so devastated and there so much to say in a

  • football model that that is allowed to happen and people

  • lose something that important but the same sentiment applies

  • in Bury, so it's coming home is my choice, Labour is

  • Coming

  • so devastated and there so much to say in a football model that

  • that is allowed to happen and people lose something that

  • important but the same sentiment applies in Bury, so it's coming

  • home is my choice, Labour is Coming Home.

  • KEIR: Thank you all very much for coming, Lisa lent across and

  • said did I stitch this question up? Because I am a massive

  • football fan

  • and one of my boyhood memories

  • is Five O'clock Sports Report, I remember that forever.

  • I am an Arsenal fan and a season ticket holder, so I am sorry

  • about that. Extended happening will not know that

  • and our chant is 1-0 to the Arsenal, which is about as

  • unoriginal you could get.

  • I went to see the Arsenal Barcelona game in Paris and we

  • were singing 1-0 to

  • the Arsenal and they had these fantastic songs, it put us in

  • our place.

  • What I would say more seriously is grassroots football really

  • matters, the money much too much at the top and it's the clubs at

  • the bottom that need the

  • resource and we need to turn that

  • around. REBECCA: So I am a united fan

  • and there is one great legendary footballer, who in many hundreds

  • of are years from now

  • will be known as in the same way as

  • Plato and Socrates, he is the king, King

  • Eric, my favourite football chant is "to turn that around.

  • REBECCA: So I am a united fan and there is one great legendary

  • footballer, who in many hundreds of are years from now will be

  • known as in the same way as Plato and Socrates, he is the

  • king, King Eric, my favourite football chant is "ooh, ah,

  • Cantona." MODERATOR: I will be going to

  • Lisa to start this question off. This is a question from Chris in

  • Stroud, quite rightly much has been said about Labour losing

  • many seats in the midlands and north, however to win Labour,

  • Labour must win not many other seats also in the south and

  • south west. What would you do to persuade voters to vote Labour

  • in these areas? LISA: My answer to that is that

  • the scale of the challenge is awesome, but it's ours for the

  • taking. Over the last few years I have spent time in every

  • region and nation of this

  • country, in city seats, suburbs and towns and villages, there is

  • no affection or enthusiasm for the Tories but to win people's

  • trust back Labour

  • has to change. We have to show people we are rooted in the

  • communities and we have as much riding on this as the people we

  • represent and most of all we have to work with pioneering

  • councils like Stroud to help show the change and the

  • difference that Labour makes, so that in 2024 when we are asking

  • people to vote for us, who are two or three years old, last

  • time there was a Labour Government, we will be able to

  • point to what is

  • happening in the communities and say that is the difference

  • Labour make, trust us to deliver real, radical change.

  • MODERATOR: Keir. KEIR: Thank you very much for

  • that question. We often forget that if you draw a line

  • from London to Bristol and look south

  • there is over 120 seats Wii have a handful of them. So we have a

  • huge job to do, we won't win if we don't win in the south, south

  • west and the south east and as I have gone around talking to

  • people, campaigning in the south, the south west and the

  • south east, what I am really aware of is that the towns and

  • the villages and lots of the issues that are there in the

  • south are not dissimilar to the issues across other parts of the

  • country. If you go around the Kent coast or further along

  • around here you get the same issues. We have to listen to

  • what people are saying to us, I think they want more power and

  • control and they want investment in their areas, but we need to

  • be here making the case because we are not going to win without

  • winning the

  • south as well as the rest of England,

  • Scotland, Wales and Northern people are saying to us, I think

  • they want more power and control and they want investment in

  • their areas, but we need to be here making the case because we

  • are not going to win without winning the south as well as the

  • rest of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

  • >>: Look, there is no difference between someone who is

  • struggling in Bristol, compared to someone who is struggling in

  • Blythe and we have to have a message that speaks to every

  • single community in

  • whatever income bracket I fall within. Unfortunately, in this

  • election, although we had many of the greatest

  • policies I think we have ever had from

  • our green revolution all the way to Democratising our economy we

  • didn't have a message of aspiration that spoke to our

  • community and proved that the Labour Party was the party of

  • empowerment and improving people's lives, so that is the

  • first thing we need to do. The second thing is about making

  • sure

  • that we create a mass movement, a year-round campaigning force,

  • not just in General Elections, but making sure that all of our

  • members are rooted

  • within their communities and they are visible.

  • We have to rebut the attack, we have

  • been too nice, I will be honest, we have to rebut the smears and

  • fight tooth and

  • nail against the smears that are coming against us from the

  • press. Finally we made to know who the enemy

  • is and we have to unite as a party.

  • MODERATOR: You are doing very well, but all of you are

  • slightly going over, so if you try to keeptooth and nail

  • against the smears that are coming against us from the

  • press. Finally we made to know who the enemy is and we have to

  • unite as a party. MODERATOR: You are doing very

  • well, but all of you are slightly going over, so if you

  • try to keep on eye on the clock there.

  • >>: I can't see it. MODERATOR: Can't you?

  • MODERATOR: You are doing very well, but all of you are

  • slightly going over, so if you try to keep on eye on the clock

  • there. >>: I can't see it.

  • MODERATOR: Can't you? We can move it. Is that better?

  • >>: Great, yeah, thank you. MODERATOR: Okay, good. Emily.

  • EMILY: Without a doubt we have to win seats across the whole of

  • our nations because we cannot be a party that just represents a

  • part of the country and it's right, struggle is struggle and

  • poverty is poverty and it doesn't matter where you come

  • from.

  • I was, can I come from Guildford, but I launched my

  • campaign in Guildford,

  • people went Guildford, no, actually Belfield council

  • estate, there is poverty in London, the south east and south

  • west and poverty across the whole of our country. We have to

  • be a party of the safety net, but we also have to be a party

  • of opportunity and that opportunity is making sure that

  • not only that we invest in education, but that we give

  • people a chance, we cannot continue to insist that people

  • leave their parents and move to London in order to be able to

  • get opportunities.

  • We have to have a proper industrial strategy, an active

  • industrial strategy that brings jobs to the whole of the

  • country, we must rebalance our economy and we cannot do that

  • without a Government that believes that you can actually

  • make a difference in Government

  • and we link that industrial strategy with our Green

  • Industrial Revolution, but people to have to believe that

  • we

  • mean it and that we will do

  • it. MODERATOR: Thank you for those

  • answer, you are cheekily going over the time limit, I am not

  • picking on anyone in particular, you are all having a go. Right,

  • good politicians. Good question now, I am going to start with, I

  • think we are over to Keir to begin with one, what were you

  • thinking at 11.00pm last night, this is a question from

  • Tom from Bath CLP. KEIR: I was thinking about the

  • state of our country, it was for me a sad moment leaving the

  • Europe Union. Sad because we are losing something

  • which I believed in as a peace project above all else, but also

  • I was reflecting on the fact we have argued uphill and down Dale

  • for three-and-a-half years about the deal we may or may not do

  • and we haven't done anything about the underlying reasons why

  • people voted in the way they did,

  • bus I think it was years of political

  • failure and economic failurereflecting on the fact we

  • have argued uphill and down Dale for three-and-a-half years about

  • the deal we may or may not do and we haven't done anything

  • about the underlying reasons why people voted in the way they

  • did, bus I think it was years of political failure and economic

  • failure that led so many people to say "we need change." So it

  • renewed my determination that we need to bring about fundament

  • and change in this country and shifting power and wealth and

  • resources.

  • So we need to look forward,

  • forward, leave/remain as a divide is over, but the future

  • is about changing

  • this country

  • determination that we need to bring about fundament and change

  • in this country and shifting power and wealth and resources.

  • So we need to look forward, leave/remain as a divide is

  • over, but the future is about changing this country forever.

  • >>: I was very sad last night, but we need to acknowledge in

  • the last General Election many of our constituents didn't

  • trust us on Brexit, if they were leave voters they thought we

  • were trying to overturn the referendum result, if they were

  • remain they thought we weren't being strong enough. enough. I

  • think the debate is over what we need to be thinking about is

  • building a Britain after Brexit. We cannot spend the four years

  • waiting to tell our constituents we told you so and we knew it

  • was going to be this bad all along, we have to protect them,

  • hold the Government to account and make sure that they get the

  • best possible trade deal, that protects workers' rights and

  • protects consumer and health and safety standard and

  • environmental protections but ultimately build that economic

  • vision for the future that will rebuild our communities and

  • provide the hope

  • that people need. MODERATOR: Emily.

  • EMILY: 11.00pm last night I was really down. I thought as if the

  • blow of losing the General Election was bad enough now we

  • were leaving the European Union as well. Although there was much

  • crowing last night I was one of the ones who was really worried

  • about what the hell is going to happen next. What is going to

  • happen next?

  • We need to have a deal with the European Union and we need to

  • make sure our biggest trading partner is kept close to us and

  • we also need to be close

  • to them in security and cultural reasons. I am concerned about

  • people who don't know if they can stay in the country. We

  • don't know if we will have that deal by the end of the year,

  • frankly I don't think we will and I don't think Boris cares.

  • What has he done in the last month, he

  • has tried to make sure that big Ben bongs, providing a 50 pence,

  • these are the things he cares about, we need to be out there

  • and fighting and making sure that he does what he supposed to

  • do which is making sure he has a good deal with the European

  • Union and he looks after our country.

  • We may well be back in no-deal territory I am afraid by the

  • summer, because they won't have done anything by that stage.

  • MODERATOR: You are going over. EMILY: We need to have someone

  • leading the fight on the right side of the

  • argument all along. MODERATOR: I feel like I need a

  • red flag to wave. Lisa.

  • LISA: I was feeling defiant at 11.00pm last night. I am someone

  • who campaigned for remain, wanted to remain and when we

  • lost the

  • referendum went out and made the case

  • for a close political and alliance with the E lost that

  • too. Over the last three years we have allowed the Tories to

  • divide us. That is what they do, we divide and

  • rule, we should never have accepted the terms of that

  • fight, we have looked backwards when we should have been looking

  • forwards to the country we can

  • be and we missed the point of the political earthquake which

  • was a clamour for more control and agency across the country.

  • Let's learn from where we have been and think about why we are

  • going. The future lies in investing the skills in this

  • country and attracting talent from around the world so that we

  • can

  • build the high wage, high-skilled xherks outside of

  • the EU, but with our future

  • very clearly pointing towards

  • the country. Let's learn from where we have been and think

  • about why we are going. The future lies in investing the

  • skills in this country and attracting talent from around

  • the world so that we can build the high wage, high-skilled

  • xherks outside of the EU, but with our future very clearly

  • pointing towards Europe. - economy outside of the EU.

  • MODERATOR: Thank you, someone let out some fireworks around

  • the back of my

  • house so I played Ode to Joy loudly. Moving on so what does

  • global Britain mean to you? I think that is a good follow on

  • question to what we have just heard and we are starting with

  • becky now. REBECCA: It recognises that we

  • are an internationalist party and we need to rebuild our own

  • economic foundations but we do that from an internationalist

  • perspective. I want Britain to lead the world in a

  • greel Industrial Revolution and sell our technologies overseas

  • and help to develop the economies of those countries

  • overseas who are struggling, giving them a bright, green

  • future in the same way we are going to give our own

  • communities that bright green future of security and well-paid

  • jobs.

  • I also think that a globalised society recognises the role that

  • Britain has to play in defence and foreign policy, about making

  • sure we are a force for peace, that we forge diplomatic

  • relationships with countries across the world and make sure

  • that Britain says

  • very much stability and peace across the

  • world. EMILY: The Tories mean by global

  • Britain they mean trade, but we mean more than

  • that, we mean making sure we act unilaterally, we are a

  • unilateral

  • country we have always had our voice amplified by speak to

  • other countries who have similar views and values and it

  • seems to me we have a role on the security council, frankly

  • most international law was written by British lawyers and

  • it's because we are unilateralists we need to

  • continue to play that role. But our place on the security

  • council

  • is not to be a Donald Trump mini me, we have to have our own

  • voice and make sure we have a leadership role when it comes to

  • peace and when it comes to ensuring that countries come

  • together and yes, it's about international leadership when it

  • comes to the green deal. We need to make sure we are protecting

  • our planet, we need to make sure we are pushing ourselves in the

  • right way and in a world where there are more and more of these

  • big men who think they can trample all over international

  • law and international institutions, we need to bring

  • other countries together and we made to stand up to them and say

  • no, the future of our world is too precious to allow you to

  • play with it in this way, we have to stand up to them and we

  • will

  • with a Labour

  • Government. LISA: We are a better country

  • than the Tories would have you believe. In my part of the

  • world, in Lancashire,

  • years ago the Lancashire textile workers came out and stood

  • shouldered to shoulder with the Indian cotton pickers uniting

  • the two sides of my family from India to Lancashire. That is why

  • I say as we move out of the European Union, to try and seek

  • a close relationship with our European friends and allies.

  • We have to use the leverage we have to recapture that spirit,

  • we should not be signing trade deals with countries who haven't

  • signed up to the Paris agreement and we should use the leverage

  • we have to raise up standards, not for people

  • here, but for working people across the world.

  • KEIR: This is an important question, as of today we stand

  • on the international stage alone, again.

  • Therefore, what we stand for absolutely matters and I am an

  • internationalist, I have always believed in internationalism and

  • our parties always believed in

  • internationalism, solidarity across forwardism, we made to

  • make that case, because there is a danger that we turn in on

  • ourselves,

  • people

  • people interpret that as a country that draws into itself.

  • So we need to make the case for peace and justice as our

  • principles and values and I want to be the Labour Party Prime

  • Minister of this country that goes forward with those value,

  • reestablishing that for Britain on the international

  • stage and making the case for human rights-based foreign

  • policy, a human-rights based trade policy, so we are actually

  • forging our way forward, I also want to be the British Prime

  • Minister that leads the way on climate change by much stronger

  • agreements. The Paris Agreement is all very well, but it's just

  • not strong enough, we could lead on the international stage,

  • let's step up to that and not withdraw

  • from

  • it. MODERATOR: Apologies, I think I

  • forgot to say that question was from Jane from Bristol West.

  • So moving on related questions, so this is from Alex, also from

  • Bristol West, we have chosen many other CLPs as well, this is

  • a question on women and equality and we will be back to starting

  • with Emily to take this first.

  • With Trump's administration seeking to undermine laws which

  • protect the rights of women what will you do to make sure these

  • rights are protected at home and abroad? abroad?

  • EMILY: Donald Trump by his appointments

  • to the Supreme Court is trying to

  • undermine ReVWade. We have to make sure we are a beacon of

  • women's rights, our rights are hard won

  • and it seems to me there must be no black lied sliding, if the

  • law is introduced so it is not criminal to have

  • an abortion in Northern Ireland they should come over to the

  • United Kingdom. No back sliding as for making sure that women's

  • rights are the same across the world. I fear that with the

  • growth of big men and people like Donald Trump who think it's

  • okay to sexually assault women and still be President of the

  • United States,

  • we made to have more women leaders on the international

  • stage, to say you are the sexual prod for, this is not the way to

  • behave, the women of the world say no, we will not be

  • humiliated, we are

  • powerful and we fight back. MODERATOR: Lisa.

  • LISA: When I was first elected to Parliament I used to say to

  • young girls in my constituency, you must step forward, you must

  • get involved and make your voice heard and I want to see you as

  • the politicians of the future. Ten years later I hesitate

  • before I say that because I am not sure that I want to subject

  • them to what women like me

  • and Becky and Emily have to put up in politics. So I want to see

  • Labour out there, much bolder, flying the flag, speaking up,

  • speaking out, men and women in this party, about the importance

  • of women leadership at every level in our communities, when I

  • say we push power down, that is because it's women across this

  • country who are delivering real change and if we want to create

  • that world we have to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. We

  • need women in positions of responsibility in our party, not

  • just at the front, but behind the scenes where policy is being

  • made and I never want to

  • see women shouted down in CLP meetings again, I have seen far

  • too much of it in

  • the last few years and I

  • want it to stop. KEIR: As the only man on this

  • panel, let me make this clear and make it a pledge. I will be

  • no lesser champion of women's rights than any of the other

  • candidates on this panel. That is what I have done all my life

  • as

  • a lawyer, as director of public prosecutions, fight for women's

  • rights,

  • whether that is hate crime, whether that is violence against

  • women and girls, where we did a huge amount of time when

  • I was at the Crown Prosecution Service or whether it's fighting

  • alongside others against the sort of abuse that is

  • much more directed against women than it ever is as men.

  • All of us politicians get abuse but I get less because I am a

  • man and I will

  • stand up against that all the

  • time. REBECCA: I am proud of our

  • party's record in standing up for women's rights. I think over

  • the next four years we are going to be faced with a Government at

  • home that is equally as bad as Donald Trump frankly. And we are

  • going to have to fight Boris Johnson against the cuts he has

  • made to rape crisis and women's refuge and we are going to fight

  • them every step of the way on basic human rights such as the

  • right to choose.

  • We are also going to have to fight for trans people within

  • our party and within society and demand self ID to be legislated

  • for. But we have to look beyond this and look at the bigger

  • economic picture, the vast majority of cuts have fallen on

  • the

  • shoulders of women in society and unless we see an economic

  • revolution right across the country, we will never be

  • able to address the disparity of paying income between women and

  • their male counterparts. That cannot be done in the piecemeal

  • fashion, that requires building our economy up from the ground,

  • scrapping universal credit and make suring we have a welfare

  • system that supports people in

  • this fit for purpose and tackling the

  • gender pay gap vigorously.

  • MODERATOR: Okay, thank you, as a woman councillor, the only woman

  • who is leading a council in the south west it is important to

  • encourage women into politics.

  • We have been as women members of the party encouraged by the

  • outcome of the

  • election, both the deputy leader and

  • leader we have a good mix of men and women standing. That is a

  • great measure of the talent we have in our party. But, of

  • course, so the men don't feel out I have chosen a question, a

  • question which I think is extremely important. This comes

  • from Alison in north Somerset and I am going to be starting, I

  • think with Lisa now. So what measures would be put in place

  • to raise the aspirations, horizons and educational

  • attainment of the white working class, in particular those of

  • boys and young women who occupy the lowest rung in the ladder of

  • national educational achievement?

  • LISA: So before I came into Parliament I worked with

  • children and young people first at Centrepoint and then migrant

  • and refugee children.

  • Young people from working class backgrounds are ever bit as

  • aspiration

  • Elle as their younger peers until they reach the age of 14,

  • when somehow the society we have beats the aspiration out of

  • those young people and tells them there is no use having

  • dreams because they don't have a plan. The first thing I would do

  • is to restate that education maintenance allowance and a

  • programme called Aim Higher which lifted the number of young

  • people from my constituency that went on to university by 40% in

  • just six years, one of the greatest legacies of the last

  • Labour Government, one of the first

  • things the Tories took the axe to, we should never ever let

  • them forget it, we bring it back and we make those dreams

  • into

  • reality. KEIR: Putting our money in our

  • primary schools and our 0-5s. SureStart was fantastic.

  • My life was a learning mentor, working in primary schools with

  • white working class boys who were struggling, not because

  • they had learning difficulties by because of the circumstances

  • they were living in at home. It was a fantastic Labour project,

  • it was making a real difference and it's all been cut, its a

  • disgrace, so we have

  • to put our money in to our young people 0-5 and then at primary

  • school in particular, because if we don't catch it there, it is

  • so much more difficult to deal with it at secondary school and

  • beyond secondary school. That was one of the fantastic things

  • we did that wasn't embedded and has been stripped away by the

  • Tories and is

  • absolutely dis

  • catch it there, it is so much more difficult to deal with it

  • at secondary school and beyond secondary school. That was one

  • of the fantastic things we did that wasn't embedded and has

  • been stripped away by the Tories and is absolutely disgraceful.

  • >>: Funnily enough I was talking to the train conductor on the

  • way down and this is the point he made. I would lake to say

  • that aspirational is socialism, it's not about social mobility

  • for a select few who are lucky to climb a ladder and succeed.

  • This is about every single one of us in every community being

  • able to reach our potential and we don't have that system at the

  • moment.

  • So we made a cradle to grave education

  • service, we need to make sure that apprenticeships are worthy

  • of the name and start bringing up our young people and training

  • them in the skills of the future and alongside that we have got

  • to have an industrial strategy that

  • actually creates the jobs of the future, the Green Industrial

  • Revolution will do that and the industrial strategy that I have

  • been working on over the last four years will work towards

  • doing that, but

  • we also have to make sure that we have security in those jobs

  • and that means

  • making sure that we roll out sectoral collective bargains and

  • ensure that Trade Unions have access to every single workplace

  • and we ban zero hour contracts. MODERATOR: Can you wrap up now.

  • REBECCA: For me the role of Government is...

  • MODERATOR: I think you have... sorry, Becky. I know it's

  • difficult for you, but you have been all doing well, but I am

  • trying to, I am getting evil eyes from the other candidates

  • when we go off the time allowed. We still have quite a lot of

  • questions through, so I think we are back to Emily now.

  • EMILY: I think it is about, you can't

  • expect people to have aspiration if they don't have the

  • opportunities and there

  • aren't the things for them to be then able to inspire to do.

  • Where we have a country that is stripping out jobs for people,

  • where they cannot see what is the point of doing well at

  • school, what is the point of going into an apprenticeship, if

  • it's not really teaching you very much, it's

  • very difficult in those circumstances toable to inspire

  • to do. Where we have a country that is stripping out jobs for

  • people, where they cannot see what is the point of doing well

  • at school, what is the point of going into an apprenticeship, if

  • it's not really teaching you very much, it's very difficult

  • in those circumstances to simply say "we need to have aspiration.

  • " What we need to have is opportunity. We can only have

  • those opportunities if we change the way our economy works, as I

  • have already said. We need to have proper jobs for people up

  • and down the country and then of course what we need to be doing

  • is making sure that our education system is worthy of

  • its name and there are things, particularly at SureStart,

  • particularly at 16 where people do need to have additional money

  • in the educational maintenance allowance and we need to have

  • more male teachers so that boys can identify with them more

  • closely and we need to make sure that when kids are 12, 13, they

  • want to find another role model and there isn't necessarily a

  • male teacher that we have a youth service and

  • the youth service is there as an alternative series was role

  • models for young boys to aspire to and be able to see there are

  • other ways that. Is how it works and we are ignoring this at our

  • peril.

  • MODERATOR: Thank

  • you. You are doing exceptionally well because you are being asked

  • some complex questions and answering them succinctly.

  • I am going to move on to housing now, certainly in Stroud and

  • Bristol we have been building some of the first council

  • houses in generations, so we are proud of our record on that, but

  • it is a

  • crucial issue that didn't come up during the General Election.

  • It's a question from Tony in Chippenham. He says some

  • estimates suggest that the shortfall in housing may be as

  • much as three million households and it's not even meeting

  • current demand.

  • What should party policy be in addressing this housing

  • shortfall and to tackle the inequities in the housing

  • market. I think it's Keir to start this one.

  • KEIR: More houses at affordable rates.

  • It's basic, it should have happened and it hasn't happened

  • and it's across the whole country. This affects

  • everything, poor housing people can't afford is distressing

  • because you are living in poor circumstances. In my

  • constituency we have huge amounts of overcrowding because

  • we haven't got enough council housing and social housing and

  • then it's not just the temporary period you are living in

  • overcrowding or poor conditions, it affects the children and so I

  • get parents coming to me in my surgery with a note from school

  • saying their children are failing at school because they

  • can't learn at home. Before you know it, those kids are then on

  • the street, because if you have too many children in an

  • overcrowded house they will go on to the street and that leads

  • to other problems. This is not just a housing issue, it's a

  • massive issue and we made more housing and council housing and

  • social housing at rents and rates that people can actually

  • afford. I don't mean the definition of affordable

  • housing, I mean that they can actually afford. It's

  • disgraceful we are in this place, we absolutely need to

  • make a commitment of it, don't see it as a housing issue, see

  • it as a much bigger social justice

  • issue, because that is what it

  • people can actually afford. I don't mean the definition of

  • affordable housing, I mean that they can actually afford. It's

  • disgraceful we are in this place, we absolutely need to

  • make a commitment of it, don't see it as a housing issue, see

  • it as a much bigger social justice issue, because that is

  • what it is. >>: Housing is a basic human

  • right and

  • we are not providing our people with that human right at the

  • moment.

  • We need to see a dramatic council house building

  • programme, like the one we set out in the last manifesto, we

  • need to

  • ban the right to buy unless those houses

  • are replaced on a like for like basis, we need significant

  • controls on private tenancies to provide fair rents and security

  • so that families and

  • individuals can put down roots within communities. But we also

  • need to look at the quality of housing, many years ago, the

  • Labour Party was proud to roll out a set of quality standards

  • for homes and that seems to have been rolled back over the last

  • 40 years. We need to be the generation that

  • brings back that demand for quality, whether it's insulating

  • your home or making sure it's in a space or a lighting place or

  • area that is fit for purpose. That is the quality of life that

  • people

  • deserve and we are the party to lead on that.

  • MODERATOR: Emily. EMILY: The answer to the housing

  • crisis is to build more homes. We need to build more homes,

  • that is the only way we can address the housing crisis and

  • we need to do it by way of carrot and stick. So we need to

  • have Government money going into building more affordable housing

  • and social housing and council housing but we also need a stick

  • and we haven't got a big enough stick at the moment and we need

  • to pass some laws to make sure we do. What we need to be doing

  • is this, we need to be saying to those who are land-banking, you

  • use it or you will use it, we will make sure that areas are

  • zoned for housing, you have five years to build, if you don't

  • build within those five years the council is taking it over

  • and as for all of these empty

  • flats for these people who are this

  • China, let's buy a gold bar or buy a flat in Bristol, no, you

  • are not allowed to buy a flat in Bristol as an investment and

  • keep it empty, if you

  • keep it empty, you lose it. Intergenerational justice, it is

  • not fair that younger people are never considered for social

  • housing and they are too young and not seen as a priority need

  • and it's not fair they can't afford

  • to buy, so

  • what do they this they go into the

  • private rented sector

  • which is Dickens ian. That is how you deal with the housing

  • crisis. You have to take it seriously and it has to be a

  • priority.

  • It is a question of leaving an entire generation behind who are

  • not able to find anything but prey carous housing, it's a

  • shock and a shame and we must do

  • something about it. LISA: I can't follow that!

  • that! The housing crisis that we have, we have two. It's a

  • consequence of an economic model that is broken. There is the

  • housing crisis in towns like many and many of the towns we

  • lost at the last election, where you have got board up homes for

  • housing that we are building is completely unaffordable,

  • £450,000 houses in places where people have average household

  • incomes of

  • £25,000 a year and it's a consequence of jobs having

  • departed those areas and the young people with them, but the

  • flipside is what is happening in Bristol. Where are those young

  • people going? They are moving to the cities.

  • So we are overheated one part of the economy and we are

  • completely underusing and underappreciating another. That

  • is why you have the high house prices and the inability of

  • young people to get on the how housing ladder.

  • That is why you have these rogue landlords able to get away with

  • treatment in the private rented sector.

  • If we want to sort this out we need to look to councils like

  • Liverpool where

  • they have brought in a Liverpool housing register which the

  • Tories have banned. We have to say this is the difference

  • between us, they are out there doing this and they are trying

  • to stop us. Elect a Labour Government and this

  • could change. MODERATOR: Thank you, I think,

  • Becky you are due to start this one. This is a question from

  • Teresa from Bristol West. It's about social care. I am a

  • hospital doctor working with older people.

  • One of the challenges facing the NHS is

  • delayed discharges due to lack of social

  • care in the community, how are you going to address the funding

  • for social care

  • and long-term care? REBECCA: We have a model that if

  • you work hard and you contribute you will be looked after when

  • you are older or fall on hard times and unfortunately that has

  • been broken by the current Government. It's happened over a

  • number of years and it's happened because they want to

  • privatise the NHS, there is no two ways about it, they have

  • been running it into

  • the ground and in terms of social care

  • they, don't want us to have a publicly owned social system,

  • they want those who can afford to pay to pay for their own

  • social care. Now, it's not an easy question to answer, but we

  • need dramatically more investment in social care, we

  • need to look at the creation of a National Care Service, we need

  • to recommit to the pledges that we set out in our manifesto

  • about free personal care and ensuring that people can stay in

  • their own homes for as long as they possibly can. But it's also

  • about rebranding the

  • whole social security framework and reiterating that contract to

  • people within our community so they understand

  • what it's for, because for too long, we

  • have let Tories away with the argument of scroungers and those

  • who afford it should go private and do what it is they want to,

  • because they deserve to do that. That is not what we believe in,

  • we need

  • to rebrand social security and social care.

  • MODERATOR: Emily.

  • EMILY: In this country there are elderly women put to bed at 5.

  • 00pm in the evening and told they have

  • to stay there because there is no one to look after them. There

  • are people with disabilities who don't get washed every day,

  • there are

  • people who have to choose between being washed or having a

  • meal cooked for them.

  • We have slid too far to the right and we need to sort it

  • out. Just as our country believes in the

  • National Health Service if people knew

  • how bad it was, let's find out, let's not make that happen,

  • let's sort it out. It is a question of a safety net, is it

  • a question of who we are as a country, we look after the

  • elderly, and the marginalised and the weak, that is who we

  • are, because it could happen to us, at any time, it could happen

  • to anyone in our family and the British way is that we look

  • after one another and we put our arms around one another. We put

  • our arms around each other and our national religion is the

  • National Health Service frankly it's little poor

  • sister is social care, we pay for it, frankly and I think we

  • pay for it out of national taxation, let's not mess around,

  • let's make sure we extend our National Health Service, in the

  • end it undermines the National Health Service. People go into

  • the NHS in crisis because there has been no one there to

  • look after them and then they can't get out afterward because

  • they have no one to look after them.

  • It makes no sense, if you have dementia, as my father did,

  • there is no

  • way you get that care paid for, because somehow or another it's

  • not a physical disability, so we have to, so if you are over a

  • certain income it has to be paid for. Basically if you get

  • dementia it's a 100% tax. That is not fair, we should all be

  • looking after one another and frankly

  • it's a women's issue, because in the end, it's women who hold up

  • the sky and we are the ones who have the responsibility at the

  • end of the day and we are the ones who are living longer and

  • are likely to need our scare. MODERATOR: Thank you.

  • EMILY: And they will be look after us in

  • our old age we have to sort this out.

  • MODERATOR: MODERATOR: Okay, Lisa.

  • LISA: We have to be honest that if we

  • want proper social care for our families

  • and for my family and for yours we have pay for it. Tax is not a

  • bad thing, tax is the contribution we make to a more

  • civilised, more caring society and when

  • we allowed bedroom tax, one of the most callous policies I have

  • seen, I am

  • afraid we won the battle, by lost the war. We have to go out

  • and make the case for a tax system that is sustainable. That

  • means it has to be fairer and more feasible. We can't keep

  • taxing earned wealth and income, we have to start taxing unearned

  • wealth and have the courage to go out

  • there and make that case and win that argument, so that in the

  • wealthiest

  • country in the world, or one of them at least, our older people

  • don't have to

  • fear growing old without dignity andincome, we have to start

  • taxing unearned wealth and have the courage to go out there and

  • make that case and win that argument, so that in the

  • wealthiest country in the world, or one of them at least, our

  • older people don't have to fear growing old without dignity and

  • warmth. Bobby Kennedy once said "some people look at the world

  • as it is and say why,

  • I see the world as itgo out there and make that case and win

  • that argument, so that in the wealthiest country in the world,

  • or one of them at least, our older people don't have to fear

  • growing old without dignity and warmth. Bobby Kennedy once said

  • "some people look at the world as it is and say why, I see the

  • world as it should be and say why not? " That is the spirit we

  • need to

  • recapture for the next Labour Government in 2024 that will

  • sort in settlement out

  • for good.

  • KEIR: Social care is in a complete mess. Anyone who works

  • in it or experiences it, knows it needs a complete overhaul

  • from top to bottom. The provision isn't there, the

  • funding

  • isn't there, the staff are treated very

  • poorly, poor conditions, poor pay and always attacking those

  • conditions.

  • So if you are staff, it's likely you are not paid to go between

  • trips to dispense the care you need to dispense,

  • so it needs a top to bottom overhaul and we need to

  • recognise the skills that the staff in the sector actually

  • have and have a proper framework for them. Of course it needs to

  • be joined up with the NHS, I agree with many of the points

  • that others have made on this panel and it's good we are all

  • making similar points for the future of our party, but I will

  • tell you this, not being able to

  • deal with this for five years is the price for failure, because

  • it's all very well saying this now, this morning in this hall,

  • but we are not going to be able to do this for four or five

  • years and think of the many thousands and thousands of

  • people who are going to have to put up with poor social care,

  • that is the price of losing elections

  • and we made to

  • we need to understand

  • that. MODERATOR: This is very much a

  • question that pertinent to local Government and we have the local

  • Government hustings next week, so these question will go into

  • that, it's important, although we

  • are not going to be in power for some years local Government is

  • doing more, I think we will is a chance to explore

  • that in nor detail next week. I have a couple of questions

  • around climate change, this one is going to be, I think we are

  • going to start with Emily first.

  • This is from Malcolm in Bridgewater, this question is to

  • say we are in the rural south west, we are in Bristol now, but

  • we will take in this the broadest possible sense. What

  • specific actions could the candidates take to deliver

  • sustainable agriculture to address climate change

  • and the decline of biodiversity? EMILY: So we are leading the

  • European Union and there is a challenge now for our

  • countryside as to where we go next and what it is that we do.

  • The difficulty is going to be that although many farmers feel

  • that this is

  • a new opportunity that there are new horizons, there are concerns

  • about how we will be able to sustain ouring ary culture

  • without the fund which has been sustaining particularly smaller

  • businesses.

  • The question is going to be where does ouring ary culture go

  • next and to reflect needs? What we need do is something about

  • the supermarkets who screw the lid down on

  • our farmers and demand things that are unachievable for those.

  • The way we are able to buy milk at the price it costs the

  • farmers to produce it

  • is wrong and we need to make sure our farmers are properly

  • supported. When you have such large supermarkets that are

  • monopolies the farmers are caught by the short and curlies,

  • we need to make sure we have a more sustainable model and

  • farmers are able to bring

  • their stuff to market without being so dependent on the big

  • supermarkets who take the Mickey in the way they do. That needs

  • to be changed and if the supermarkets won't do it

  • themselves, I think since we are leaving the European

  • Union and we are going to be changing be changing the way we

  • do our farming and we should be up for doing it and

  • taking on the superneeds to be changed and if the supermarkets

  • won't do it themselves, I think since we are leaving the

  • European Union and we are going to be changing the way we do our

  • farming and we should be up for doing it and taking on the

  • supermarkets. >>: When I was the shadow

  • climate change

  • secretary we worked across this country to deliver real change.

  • They were investing in clean energy

  • schemes and peat restoration schemes and planting trees

  • across the country. Between us we made a pledge to cut the UK's

  • Karen footprint, even at a time when the Tory Government was

  • axing solar energy and blocking new wind.

  • We may the be in power but we should never believe we are

  • powerless. To really tackle this climate emergency

  • we need to build the broadest coalition that stretches not

  • just across the

  • Labour Party, but includes things like

  • Caroline Lucas, she is not on enemy, we have to end the

  • tribalism and tackle climate change now.

  • KEIR: We need a sustainable agricultural policy. Powers

  • nows, as of today are coming back to the United Kingdom that

  • were excited in the UK and we need to decide where those power

  • need to be exercised. I think they need to be done as local as

  • possible and reenls in the south west

  • should have a say over what our agricultural policy is going

  • forward we should do simple things, we should eat less meat.

  • I am a vegetarian, I don't want to enforce it on anyone, but we

  • do on our kids.

  • We need to move away from a meat-based economy.

  • Thats to be part of our wider policy. On the wider question of

  • climate change we have to support the Green New Deal and

  • we have to stop the argument that

  • says something is is good for the economy but bad for the

  • environment.

  • If it's bad for the environment it is

  • bad for the economy and that has to be hard wired.

  • question of climate change we have to support the Green New

  • Deal and we have to stop the argument that says something is

  • good for the economy but bad for the environment. If it's bad for

  • the environment it is bad for the economy and that has to be

  • hard wired.

  • >>: Time is running out if we didn't win the election election

  • we would be well on the way with our green revolution, but time

  • is not on our hands we have to do what we can to push the

  • Government

  • take the action required to meet net zero. Leading scientists

  • with he have to have the majority of work done by 2030.

  • It's not a lot of time.

  • The farming community plays a huge role in this.

  • Being is he specific, we need to have a huge rewilding programme.

  • It's necessary for our bee population,

  • because we wouldn't have any agriculture, if we didn't have

  • bees, I

  • didn't know this, but they are integral to our ecosystem and we

  • made to reforest the whole of the United Kingdom and go

  • way beyond the plans the Government has set out and we

  • also need to empower the Farning community to adopt the

  • technologies of the future.

  • Technologies are being developed now, world-leading technologies

  • now, here in the UK that will allow our farmers to

  • farm in a more sustainable way, whether it's moth radars that

  • allow them to know

  • when the moths are going to come over

  • and infest their crops so they don't

  • have to spray pesticide all year around. Our farming community is

  • not able to take part in that because they can't afford it,

  • because they are in hock to many of our leading supermarket

  • chains and the supply chains they are part of. The Government

  • needs to play a direct

  • role in supporting them financially.

  • MODERATOR: Thank you.

  • I am going to come back to Lisa now and going to ask a

  • supplementary question to that. Our council, Stroud council is

  • the first to become carbon neutral in Europe. Thank you. As

  • a Labour group we recently announced we are going to

  • attempt to a run a carbon negative election campaign which

  • means we will monitor our carbon

  • emissions and seek to take out of the atmosphere more carbon,

  • like locking it through planting trees and admissions. I wonder

  • if you might look at our own emissions as a party and maybe

  • we could

  • become the first carbon negative political party, that would be

  • exciting if we could do that. I will start with Lisa.

  • LISA: I have always been ambition an tackling climate

  • change and five years ago as the shadow secretary I called for a

  • Green Industrial Revolution, but if we want to tackle climate

  • change we have to have not just dreams but a plan. We have to be

  • honest about where we are. There are councils around this

  • country, not just Stroud but Lambeth who are

  • leading the way in going carbon neutral by 2030, we are not

  • going to be in Government until 2024 and at the moment this

  • Government isn't on track to meet the target by 2050. Every

  • single one of us on this panel accepted at hustings that we

  • would need to rely on goes for decades to come and if you do,

  • what is the realistic plan that we are going to use to take this

  • forwards? That is going to take the energy of everyone in our

  • movement and that is why I say, don't challenge me and the other

  • candidates to go further and faster and sign up to pledges,

  • we are all committed to tackling climate change, before we

  • had the Green New Deal we had Barry

  • Gardner championing this case, before

  • that we had Ed Miliband. This is a movement which has always

  • sought to advance the status quo, rather than arguing amongst

  • ourselves about who is more ambition on climate change we

  • ought to be reclaiming that legacy and going out together to

  • tell the world that story.

  • If we don't, if we twied each other that is how the Tories

  • win, over and over again, that is how we let people

  • down, we can do

  • better. KEIR: Can I support Lisa on

  • that, because I think everyone on this panel, there are some

  • issues like this, where everyone on this panel genuine and

  • sincerely wants do the right thing or our party, our movement

  • and our country and that includes on environmental damage

  • and climate change. We need to pull that together, so that we

  • are all working together, rather than

  • seeking to divide people on this issue, I support Lisa on that,

  • can I say well done and fantastic that the councils are

  • doing the work they are, whilst we are out of power, our local

  • authorities are the last line of defence for many of the

  • communities that we want to represent, but they are also

  • doing innovative stuff as well and on climate change and carbon

  • emissions they are leading the way and we need to hold up our

  • local authorities and celebrate what they are doing and showcase

  • them and say this is what Labour in power can do and pull it

  • together, share best practice and I think that there is too

  • much distance, sometimes, between the leader of the Labour

  • Party and our local authorities.

  • I would like to close that distance and work more closely

  • with you and I will finally say for our local authorities, thank

  • you for everything you are doing, you don't get the

  • recognition that you deserve.

  • Thank

  • you. >>: I think it's important for

  • us as a party to lead in terms of emissions reduction. The fact

  • is we need to meet the vast majority of our emissions

  • reductions by 2030 and we are not in Government and if we

  • don't press the Government to take more radical action, when

  • we are in

  • Government, in 2024, the impact on our communities and the

  • industries that we support will be even more detrimental than it

  • is now. We talk about just transition, we have to fight for

  • a just transition and develop the plans that will implement

  • the change needed as quickly as possible and I am proud to

  • support the conference motions that went through at Labour

  • Party conference this year, calling for that action. I think

  • every single Shadow Cabinet department needs to have a plan

  • that

  • looks in detail at how they decarbonise every sector within

  • their department. That is a huge task, but we don't have the

  • time, we are trying to give a world

  • to our children and grandchildren, we can't mess

  • about with this, it's that serious. It's also the biggest

  • economic lever we have had to transform our economy, so if we

  • get this right, we won't just save the world, but we will

  • reindustrialise our communities and provide hope for

  • many generations to

  • can't mess about with this, it's that serious. It's also the

  • biggest economic lever we have had to transform our economy, so

  • if we get this right, we won't just save the world, but we will

  • reindustrialise our communities and provide hope for many

  • generations to come. >>: I was part of the delegation

  • that

  • went to Government with Ed Miliband, I

  • was proud of that role we took, but we have fallen so far back.

  • What we have to do as a Labour Government is listening to local

  • communities and frankly eight miles down

  • the A4 we have the Severn plant and what

  • is being done with it squat nothing. Experts tell us that

  • tidal lagoons might overcome the challenge, frankly are the

  • Tories listening to them, absolutely not?

  • We hoped that with the Swansea tidal lagoon project that it

  • might well be

  • able to lead the way in terms of energy

  • production here, 5-10% of the energy we use this it country

  • could be used.

  • If we don't do these things all of this

  • talk of zero emissions is just breathing out more carbon, we

  • have to be different and a party of a Green Industrial Revolution

  • that means it and we have to lead the way and we need to be

  • listening to local communities and we must be

  • brave and radical and believable and

  • credible.

  • MODERATOR: Just under 15 minutes left,

  • brilliant, some of it is great. So, I think we have had a few

  • more questions here about the party itself, so I am going to

  • take this question, I think we are starting with Keir now,

  • which is from Tim in south Swindon. Question is how will

  • you make the party more democratic and empower members

  • and

  • he has written how, emphasis on how?

  • KEIR: Firstly we celebrate the fact we

  • are a party now with 580,000 members,000 members, that is

  • fantastic. We are the largest political party in Europe, we

  • need to as transparent and democratic as possible. The

  • first thing we need to do is make sure the culture in all of

  • our meetings is such that everyone feels that they

  • can be part of our party and part of our movement, that their

  • voice is heard and all members have that collective voice, so

  • there is a cultural thing before we get to the rules here, let's

  • make sure

  • we respect each other and unite our party. Beyond that we need

  • the greatest democracy in our party, I think we

  • should ensure that all

  • decisions have input for our members, whether that is policy

  • or selection of our candidates, we need to get on with that

  • process as quickly as possible, so there is open and transparent

  • and our members can take the decisions and there

  • is no imposition from the NEC, except in completely

  • extraordinary circumstances, but the most important thing is that

  • each and every member

  • feels I can go along and I can be heard and I will be respected

  • and proud to be

  • participate of the collective

  • decision-making. >>: I think our communities

  • won't trust us to Democratise politics and our

  • economy if we can't even Democratise our own party and

  • make sure our members have the role and the respect they

  • deserve within our party. And that has got numerous facets to

  • it, firstly, members should be an active

  • part of the policy-making process, right from their CLP

  • meetings, not just at conference. Secondly members

  • should have the right to open selections, so that they can

  • hold their members of Parliament to account, as they hold their

  • councillors to account. We want to make sure that the talent we

  • have within our party rises up, as well as our great MPs and we

  • have many great MP, some of them are here today, are respected

  • and rewarded by their local members, but being an MP is not

  • a job for life and that is why we need to trust our members to

  • make decisions on this. We need to have properly resourced

  • political and economic education within our party, so our members

  • are empowered to have those policy discusses with that

  • robust background behind them and we

  • need a new BAME organisation to allow

  • BAME members to self-organise as, as was agreed at Labour

  • Party Conference.. they are the basics of a professional and

  • accountable organisation and they are certainly the things I

  • will be

  • pushing for as leader.

  • REBECCA: In 2015 when Jeremy Corbyn was elected as leader of

  • the Labour Party people were full of hope and they

  • thought there would be greater democracy in the Labour Party

  • and I am afraid we haven't seen it. When the coup happened

  • against Jeremy Corbyn, I did not, I believe he was the

  • member's choice and it was my duty to stand by him and make

  • him the best leader he could be, that is what I have done and

  • that is what I will always do, I tell you what, let's go back to

  • a few basics, we are talking about democracy

  • here, why is it all of our parliamentary

  • candidates are not being freely selected by local patients at

  • the moment.

  • Why is it all of the Tory seats all of them had their

  • parliamentary candidates imposed on them? Why did that happen?

  • It's wrong. Local parties should be selecting their own cant

  • dealts and from across the country people have had

  • candidates forced on them at the last minute, I

  • think, when someone becomes a member of Parliament, so

  • marginal seats, you were

  • able to select, in Labour seats, if you were in a Tory seat then

  • everyone got their candidates because you were third tier, got

  • your candidates imposed on you, that is wrong, because you need

  • have a focal point for community campaigning and that wasn't

  • happening. That does seem to be to be anti-democratic, the other

  • point I would say is of course MPs must remain close to their

  • local parties and they must listen to them and campaign with

  • them, because if they did they will be deselected, because of

  • course being an MP is not a job for life, we do our campaigning

  • as a team and as an MP in our local area, I am a member and I

  • listen to our members and our community,

  • if you don't, that is the end of be deselected, because of course

  • being an MP is not a job for life, we do our campaigning as a

  • team and as an MP in our local area, I am a member and I listen

  • to our members and our community, if you don't, that is

  • the end of you. >>:

  • LISA: If we want to meet the clamour for more agency in this

  • country we have to walk the talk and not just talk the talk.

  • There is no use telling people in Scotland who are attracted by

  • the independence movement we are going to empower them if we

  • treat them as a branch office of UK Labour.

  • I would like to see the leader was Scottish Labour and Welsh

  • Labour in my Shadow Cabinet, but also councillors, assembly

  • members and MSPs and defeated candidates forming part of our

  • front bench teams so we get the right policy. We should give our

  • members the right to make policies at regional conference

  • as

  • well so we are driven by the ground up, let me disagree with

  • something, the MPs

  • I want to get rid of are Tories, not

  • Labour. So let's give our members the real

  • power, we want to get the right candidates, no more parachutes

  • and stitch ups and imposing people who are friends of the

  • leadership on to local areas, let's Democratise the process

  • properly.

  • democratise the process properly.

  • MODERATOR: If you, we are coming to the

  • end of times, which is a real shame and

  • there is a lot of great of great questions to answer. If you

  • could keep this quick. Back to Becky with this one, this one

  • question is from Emily in and the question is what is one

  • thing you have done as a constituency MP that you are

  • most proud of. REBECCA: One of the things

  • yesterday was

  • in my Salford constituency. EMILY: One of the things was

  • yesterday

  • in my Salford constituteiness I, a lot of the time you see heart

  • break and when

  • you are in power it becomes quite demoralising. Yesterday a

  • constituent came in with a bottle of wine to say thanks.

  • What had happened to his husband, his husband had

  • suffered a terrible accident

  • and he suffered brain injury and he went through, over the last

  • few years various

  • care plans and ended up in a care home

  • where those in the care home said there is no hope for him,

  • he is not going to

  • get better, we will have to manage the situation.

  • But he never gave up, he kept films him on different drugs and

  • different care

  • plans and he said, Becky look, my Daniel is in, there he just

  • needs the right care.

  • So I promised we would get consultants in and speak to the

  • clinical commissioning group and we will get a review done and

  • the review happened over Christmas and the review said

  • the outcome was good if he had a different

  • care plan and he was moved into a different care setting he

  • would be back home within two years and potentially

  • able to get a job and back in employment. From where he was as

  • a practical vegetable having hope for the future, that made

  • me realise how important my job was to fight for people who

  • didn't

  • have a

  • a different care setting he would be back home within two

  • years and potentially able to get a job and back in

  • employment. From where he was as a practical vegetable having

  • hope for the future, that made me realise how important my job

  • was to fight for people who didn't have a voice.

  • >>: There was a Somali woman who had come to see me and she had

  • brought her younger children with her and left her

  • older children with her husband under a tree.

  • Elshabab was in the area and we presumed he was killed, we

  • couldn't get

  • the other children over because she had refugee status.

  • We tried to get him over, he applied for British citizenship,

  • she got it, she applied, they said you need to have a certain

  • income to bring your children over, so she got herself two

  • jobs and they tried to bring the children over, then they said,

  • the children are too old. I had been in the touch with the Home

  • Office and I said these children are at

  • risk, Elshabab is in the area and guess what the eldest child

  • was murdered by them and then we applied to get the children over

  • and they continued to say open, I said this is the family, these

  • are Islington people, they deserve to be

  • with us and we need to make sure we welcome them and I put out an

  • appeal and people stopped me in the street and gave

  • me 5 and ten pound notes.

  • We raised the appeal so we won. The reason we won was the judge

  • was

  • told that is ling stone wants this family and this family

  • deserves justice.

  • I was never prouder as a member of

  • Parliament helping that

  • me in the street and gave me 5 and ten pound notes. We raised

  • the appeal so we won. The reason we won was the judge was told

  • that is ling stone wants this family and this family deserves

  • justice. I was never prouder as a member of Parliament helping

  • that family. >>: A few years ago, a group of

  • young people from Wigan and Lee college told me to tell me at

  • one stroke of a pen the coalition Government had erased

  • their chance to carry on at college.

  • The EMA meant everything to young

  • people in my constituency, kids from large families, who

  • couldn't go to university because they couldn't get

  • through college.

  • I said what are we going do about it?

  • So we designed a petition, I worked with some other Labour

  • MPs to do the same in their constituencies and we put buses

  • down, we got them down to Westminster, we marched in the

  • streets many of them for the children who came after them and

  • not for them because they knew how much they mattered. It of

  • the proudest day of my life seeing them in central lobby,

  • chasing

  • Tory and Lib Dem MPs into cupboards because they were too

  • scared to front up to 16-year-old whose don't have the

  • right to vote.

  • At the end of that that process, we didn't win it for everyone,

  • but we did win the right for those young people who had

  • started to

  • carry on at college thousands people in my constituteensy, why

  • does it matter? Because it shows the leadership that we

  • need as a Labour Party going forwards, a leadership that

  • comes from a clamour of noise outside, that hears it, that

  • acts on it and opens the door to change.

  • It takes a

  • movement. KEIR: Let me tell you, but I am

  • reluctant, because I don't want to make a big thing of this,

  • seriously. We have got a terrible knife crime

  • problem in my constituency at the moment

  • with young boys, mainly, being stabbed. We were in the middle

  • of some of the massive Brexit fights in Parliament and

  • I was on the front bench fighting in

  • some of those dramatic votes and Georgia Gould who is the leader

  • of Camden Council said there has another murder, a Somali boy,

  • she said I am going to see the mum.

  • I knew it was my moral duty to go with

  • her, so I left Parliament and I went up

  • to see mum with Georgia, no press, no statements, just to go

  • and stand with the mum who had just lost her boy.

  • One of the hardest things I have ever

  • done, I was there to hug her, to be with her, to offer her

  • support, though she couldn't take it in and Georgia and I

  • have done that every single time, too many times.

  • Then I I went back to Parliament and didn't make anything of it.

  • That is my proudest moment. MODERATOR: Thank you for those

  • stories, I think that was all really moving and it reminds you

  • that you are constituency MPs making a difference to peoples

  • lives as well as all of the things you will be doing as the

  • leader of autoyou are party and you will remain constituency MPs

  • so that of moving to hear those stories.

  • So

  • we need to finish back on 1.00pm and all of you are invited to

  • make a two-minute statement.

  • We will begin with Emily and once we have finish wed will

  • move on to the next. Over to you, emily.

  • EMILY: It's great to be back in Bristol, I come here many times

  • whether it was chairing a mayoral campaign or helping with

  • local and regional campaigns it does feel like a second home.

  • For me this campaign is not really about who is going to

  • take us to the left or to the right, but who is going to take

  • us forward.

  • I put myself forward for this because I believe that I am the

  • best person to take this forward and to take this fight to Boris

  • Johnson. How are we going to beat him?

  • We must never let this happen again.

  • I put myself forward as forward as someone who has taken him on

  • for two years as Foreign Secretary and I have

  • exposed him as the lying manipulative fraudster that he

  • is. I want to have the opportunity to do that again to

  • show he is just the bad and will be the worst Prime Minister we

  • have had.

  • It's going to be a long, tough fight, so that is the other

  • reason I stand, I am battle hardened, aim experienced,

  • because I am strong and I am a resilient campaigner and I need

  • to be able to lead this fight.

  • Ever since I was 17 I have been involved, a party activist and

  • throughout my life I have represented miners on strike in

  • the 8 #0s, I have marched against the Iraq war, stood up

  • in Parliament for the rights of Palestinians and every campaign

  • that we

  • have fought together I have been at the frontline of that

  • campaign and I want to continue to do it. When this leadership

  • is over and people have said this leadership campaign is

  • over, people have said maybe the cameras will turn away, I can

  • assure you the cameras do not turn away when I speak and I can

  • continue to be a voice for this party and I will be your

  • campaigner

  • in chief and whether you have community campaigners or local

  • elections I will be with you. You need to have someone to

  • inspire you, we have five hard years in front of us, let us do

  • it together and I can lead you.

  • Give me an opportunity, nominate

  • your campaigner in chief and whether you have community

  • campaigners or local elections I will be with you. You need to

  • have someone to inspire you, we have five hard years in front of

  • us, let us do it together and I can lead you. Give me an

  • opportunity, nominate me. >>: As we leave the EU I want it

  • talk to you about the city we stand in and the country that I

  • seek to lead. A city that was built on the backs of slavery,

  • now led by Europe's first directly elected black mayor,

  • who is showing compassion to refugees and action on climate

  • change. This is the Britain we can be, a country that

  • understands its past, but knows where it's going, that knows

  • that

  • the path of least resistance, never points to towards progress

  • and it takes

  • a movement, like the Bristolians who stood up against the company

  • who refused

  • to employ black and Asian drivers, they

  • changed our destiny and mine. My dad came to this country from

  • India

  • in the 50s, he fought those battles all his life, it led him

  • to the Race

  • Relations Act one of the greatest gifts that Labour Party

  • has given.

  • Compare that Tories, they say we are a small island nation that

  • punches above

  • its weight, never asking why we are punching at all.

  • The self powered country I lead will be something that is

  • different, where

  • people like Benjamin can accept the order of British intlence,

  • not the empire.

  • But seeks not to alienate them, but to remake the country as it

  • should and can be, written, as he said, in verses of fire. To

  • do this we have to find the courage and there are moments in

  • history when we

  • have, but it starts with us, six weeks ago I set myself on that

  • path, if you want a better world you have to go out and fight for

  • it. If you want a different sort of leadership, you have to go

  • out and vote for it and I am asking you today to join me, so

  • that we can create this world as

  • it is and we can tell our children that we carried forward

  • the torch of progress, we will win and when we win

  • they will know that we did it

  • together. KEIR: We are here because we

  • lost the general election.

  • That was definite That was devastating, for our party, our

  • movement and for the millions of people that desperately needed

  • change after ten years of Tory rule, who are now not going get

  • that change. We didn't just lose one election, we

  • have lost four, four in a row, the next

  • one is probably 2024 and if we lose that Labour will have been

  • out of power for a

  • longer period than any time since the Second World War, a

  • whole generation will have been let down, I came into

  • politics to change lives, to better millions of people's

  • lives and that is why you are all in politics and that is why

  • you are here and we don't achieve that by losing

  • elections. So have a choice as a party, in this. It's your

  • choice. We can either mope around for the next four year,

  • head in hand, arguing about

  • why we lost, blaming each other and we

  • can do that, we do that well. If we do that we will lose.

  • Or, we could unite and rebuild, that doesn't mean ditching the

  • radicalism of the last five years, it means building

  • on it, so that it's thick for 2024, for

  • the late 2020s and the 2030s, relentlessly focussed on the

  • future. It means having the courage to say we are the party

  • that sticks up for the vulnerable and doesn't

  • discriminate against them, the party that knows that

  • the free market economy model is busted, trickle down didn't

  • happen, we wouldn't have the inequalities we have now if the

  • free market worked, we have to build a different economic model

  • and have the courage to say power should be closer to

  • people, invert the political model.

  • Bottom up, not top down and that the Green New Deal has to be

  • hard wired into everything that we do and we stand for peace and

  • we stand for justice.

  • I am asking you to be part of the next stage of history.

  • We can do this, like those that have gone before us, every

  • Labour Government had a team of people, member, supporter,

  • Trade Unions pulling together for change. This is our time, we

  • are responsible for this leg of the journey together. If we pull

  • together we can shape and influence what comes next. How

  • proud would you be of yourselves and our party if you were part

  • of what happened next? If you were part of taking us from

  • where we are now back into power where we can change lives for

  • millions of people. That is why I am standing for leader of the

  • Labour Party and I am asking you to be part of that team.

  • Thank

  • If you were part of taking us from where we are now back into

  • power where we can change lives for millions of people. That is

  • why I am standing for leader of the Labour Party and I am asking

  • you to be part of that team. Thank you.

  • >>: I never expected to be standing here today. I learnt my

  • politics sitting at the top of our stairs, listening to my dad

  • when

  • he came home from work, talking about

  • pay disputes redundancies and worse. I learnt my politics

  • working in a pawn brokers and that was after many years of

  • Conservative Government and you could see what it meant when the

  • Government washes its hands of its people and that is what has

  • happened over the last ten years and that is why the election

  • defeat was so hard for us all to take.

  • We shouldn't be under any illusion about the scale of the

  • defeat or the

  • challenge ahead, but we can't afford to be despondent and we

  • can't afford to retreat from our transformative agenda

  • that we fought so hard to secure. So I have set out where

  • I stand on

  • putting democratic public ownership of male, rail, energy

  • and water and more at

  • the heart of an agenda for a green aspirational socialist

  • economy.

  • I set out a plan for a democratic revolution to abolish

  • the House of Lords, devolve real power and end the gentleman's

  • club in Westminster. I will challenge the Government to sign

  • up to our plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, to meet

  • our climate targets

  • by 2030 and I have pledged to empower you, as members, in

  • selections on policy-making and with a programme of political

  • education, turning us into a

  • year-round campaigning force in every community.

  • None of this will be easy and no one will get a free ride from

  • the media, but

  • as the party that was born out of struggles, in workplaces and

  • Town Halls and in communities across the country,

  • it's our job to get out, to argue with

  • conviction and to inspire people to vote Labour again. This isn't

  • rhetoric, this is vision, that is the only way that we will

  • convince our communities to trust us again and that is the

  • party I believe in

  • and that will be our path to

  • power. >>: Thank you all for coming,

  • you have

  • been a brilliant audience, for any of you staying we have the

  • deputy leader hustings at 2. 00pm, but can we have another

  • thank you

  • to our fantastic candidates. (APPLAUSE).

MODERATOR: Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome

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