What we learned from Corbyn’s first meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party

Jeremy Corbyn appeared in front of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) as leader for the first time tonight. Labour MPs and peers assembled to hear a speech from the new leader and put their questions to him. Among the attendees were Ed Miliband, Harriet Harman and Lord Mandelson.

Corbyn was not met with claps or cheers as he entered, but did receive polite applause as he was introduced. He began his speech by thanking Harman, Miliband and his leadership rivals – a similar opening to his acceptance speech on Saturday. He told his audience that Labour has welcomed 28,000 new full members since his election two days ago.

He said that his Shadow Cabinet, finalised earlier today, was one of “inclusion and balance”. My understanding of the resignations that have come so far is that they were not in any way organised – but from talking to other MPs in junior positions there could be people ruling themselves out in a more coordinated manner later this week.

Corbyn also said he had three priorities as leader: 1) Housing policy, 2) The elections in Scotland, Wales and London next May, and 3) Ensuring there is a Labour Government in 2020. He pledged that he and deputy leader Tom Watson would spend at least one day a month in Scotland before the Holyrood election.

He aimed to qualm fears about mandatory reselection, saying that he sees “no need to change” current selection rules, and promises to vehemently oppose the boundary changes.

He was asked by MPs to make clear his support for staying in the EU – as Hilary Benn did on Radio 4 this morning. However, he said he did not want to give Cameron a “blank cheque” on the issue; a notably looser stance.

When questioned on whether he would wear a remembrance poppy, he said that he always wears a poppy and believes it to be a powerful symbol. He went on to say that people also wear white poppies, and remember the dead in that way. He is normally known to wear both a white and a red poppy to remembrance services, and it sounds like he will continue to do that.

Afterwards, a couple of MPs noted their unhappiness to me that Corbyn repeatedly say he would now offer a “real opposition” to the Tories, saying that this implied they had not already been doing this.

As the meeting finished, the new Shadow Cabinet met for the first time. The meeting lasted less than an hour.