Following the announcement of Jeremy Corbyn’s landslide victory as leader of the Labour Party on Saturday, he made a 20-minute acceptance speech to the special conference. He began by thanking Labour general secretary Iain McNicol, party staff, former leader Ed Miliband and his fellow leadership candidates.
On his rivals in the leadership race, he said:
“Andy’s passion and determination for a National Health Service, free at the point of use, is something that comes across every time Andy speaks. And his passion for comprehensive education to ensure that all children have a reasonable, fair and decent start in life.”
“I want to say thank you to Yvette Cooper for all the hard work she has done in Government and in the party, but in particular over the past few weeks, helping to shape and turn around public opinion to show sympathy and humanity to refugees.”
“I want to thank Liz Kendall for her friendship during this campaign. For the way we’ve managed to have a number of… moderately different opinions on a number of issues. But we’ve managed to maintain a very good friendship. And Liz is someone I admire because she absolutely stands up for what believes in. Whether it’s easy, simple or popular – or uneasy, not simple or popular. So Liz, thank you very much.”
You can watch the full speech below (via Daily Mirror):
More from LabourList
‘The Christian Left boasts a successful past – but does it have a future?’
The King’s Speech quiz 2024: How well do you know the bills Labour put forward?
LabourList 2024 Quiz: How well do you know Labour, its history and jargon?