Labour should be more aspirational about closing the inequality gap, argues Jeremy Corbyn

Jeremy Corbyn has laid out his leadership stall in an article in the Guardian.

Corbyn, who announced he’d be standing in the leadership contest last Wednesday, argues that it’s time to “rediscover the community basis of the Labour party.” He also grasps aspirational – which is fast becoming one of the watchwords of this leadership contest – as his own, arguing:

we should be more aspirational about closing the huge inequality gap in Britain, ensuring everyone is decently housed, and that the minimum wage rises to become a fair living wage.

The MP for Islington North, who is on the left of the party, calls for Labour to represent the “peace movement again”, much of which he argues was “suppressed, if not forced to disappear, under New Labour.”

Corbyn also offers his own analysis of Labour’s general election defeat that, saying “there are some factors that have not yet been acknowledged.” He writes:

“Labour gained votes across England and the aggregate vote was up by around 1m since 2010. We obviously lost heavily in Scotland, but the wider picture requires more nuanced thought.” 

He goes on to analyse that London “moved heavily towards ” Labour and “the gains and losses of English marginals were patchy, with some very strong gains, particularly where a seat had been formerly held by the Lib Dems.” Corbyn also explains that there were  “much smaller majorities where the seat had been gained at the expense of the Conservatives.”

It’s not clear whether Corbyn will secure the 35 nominations needed to make it on to the ballot paper. However, when he announced his candidacy he said he was doing so to “to see if there is enough support to have a stab at it.”