Labour rebel Angela Eagle finally launches bid to topple Jeremy Corbyn but is overshadowed by Tory leadership war
He has vowed to fight any challenge despite overwhelming majority of MPs losing confidence in his ability
LABOUR rebel Angela Eagle finally launched her bid to topple Jeremy Corbyn yesterday — but it was overshadowed by the Tory leadership war.
The former minister had delayed triggering an official contest, fearing the Conservative power battle and Chilcot Report would grab the headlines.
But the timing of her launch event was a disaster, coming at the very moment Andrea Leadsom announced she was pulling out of the No10 race, handing victory to Theresa May.
Senior journalists rushed away, leading to Ms Eagle, 55, repeatedly calling on reporters to ask questions — only to find they were not there.
She was met with an awkward silence as she invited first the BBC and then ITV to grill her.
Ms Eagle asked: “Anyone from the BBC? BBC anyone? No? OK, Robert Peston, where are you?”
Eventually she found someone from Channel 4.
Earlier the Wallasey MP had painted herself as a Jedi warrior who would make Labour a “force for good” after angry colleagues compared her to Darth Vader.
Key Corbyn ally Diane Abbott said Ms Eagle was the “Empire Strikes Back” candidate because she had backed Blairite policies like the Iraq War and university tuition fees.
But Ms Eagle said she was “more like Return of the Jedi. I’ve got my lightsaber out back”.
Her challenge to Mr Corbyn by submitting the names of 51 backers brought a fortnight of dithering by coup plotters to an end.
Mr Corbyn has refused to resign despite a mass frontbench walkout and overwhelming vote of no confidence by MPs. Labour’s National Executive Committee will decide today if he can stand automatically or if he also needs 51 names.
MP Owen Smith last night garnered the 51 names he needs.
His move would throw the coup against Mr Corbyn into chaos by splitting support for the challengers. Pontypridd MP Mr Smith, 46, is likely to portray himself as to the left of the party so as to appeal to his leader’s fans.
But Ms Eagle has stressed she is also from the Labour Left in a bid to distance herself from her past as a minister under Tony Blair.
RELATED STORIES:
I love my party and I love my country. I am ready to lead
Here is the full text of Angela Eagle's speech:
Today I am announcing my decision to stand for the leadership of the Labour Party.
I would not do this if I did not think I had something to offer to bring our party and our country back together.
And I would not do this if I did not think I could be a good prime minister for Britain.
These are dark times for Labour. And they are dangerous times for our country.
A referendum designed to settle an argument inside the Conservative party has resulted in the country being torn apart. Our economy damaged. Our society hurt.
At this time, with a failed PM, and a tiny number of Conservative party members choosing the next one, our country needs a strong Labour Party.
We alone can hold this right wing Tory government to account and then replace it by winning a general election.
Jeremy Corbyn is unable to provide the leadership this huge task needs. I believe I can.
I’m not a Blairite. I’m not a Brownite. I’m not a Corbynista. I am my own woman. A strong Labour woman.
I believe in Labour as a force for good. I am rooted in and proud of our party, and believe in my country.
I believe we are at our best when we come together to shape a future where everyone has opportunity, no matter what their background, no matter who they are.
That is my mission in politics and in life. I stand for hope not grievance. I stand for equality, for social justice, for social mobility.
I am a practical socialist driven by a strong set of values who wants to get things done.
I was born in Yorkshire and grew up in Merseyside. My dad was a printer and my mum was a seamstress.
My parents taught me to work hard, respect others and always to stand up for the things I believe in. And that’s precisely what I’m doing today.
I went to a Comprehensive School and then to Oxford – the first in my family ever to go to university.
I came into politics when I saw the damage Thatcherism was doing to our communities. I wanted to change things then. I still do.
Whether you voted to Leave or Remain, there is no doubt that the result has left our country divided and uncertain.
Divided between young and old, between city and town, and between nation and nation. How we respond now will shape our future for generations to come.
This vote was a message from millions in our country who felt no one had listened to them for a very long time. For many, it was a howl of pain.
“How on earth do we bring hope to parts of our country that feel they have been neglected for years?”
“How do we protect jobs, investment and living standards?”
“How do we remain an open tolerant society?”
“And will we stay a United Kingdom?”
Labour was founded to be the voice of working people in Parliament. We have never just been a parliamentary party or just a movement.
We are both.
Everything we are proud of, from the NHS to the Minimum Wage to the Equality legislation that has modernized and civilized our society is there because we were in government.
I am not here for a Labour Party that just takes part. I’m here to win.
I will not stand back and allow Britain to become a one party Tory state. We owe too much to the millions in our country who look to us to help them make a better life.
This is certainly about uniting Labour but it’s about much more than that.
It’s about our democracy as well as our party.
It’s about giving hope to people all over the country that Labour can be an alternative government, ready and equipped to serve.
The blunt truth is the country does not believe that when they look at us right now. But they will if I win this fight.
And I need your help to win it.
I need those who want a better Labour Party and a better politics to join Labour now, to help me change Labour for the better.
I am a person who brings people together, I don’t drive them apart.
I will unite, I will not divide. I can bring our Party together again.
A kinder politics must be a reality, not just an empty slogan.
The Tories may play out their game of thrones. But they have nothing to offer on the questions this country now faces.
I love my party and I love my country. We are at a crossroads. I am ready to lead.