‘You must not be used as a political football’: Corbyn’s letter to Labour staff

This is the full text of the email Jeremy Corbyn sent out to Labour Party staff today.

Dear All,

I wanted to thank you all for your hard work and the commitment you show to the Labour Party and labour movement.

There is no doubt that recent events have not been easy for our party. From the shock of losing the European Union referendum to the recent internal divisions, and most of all, the tragic loss of our wonderful colleague, Jo Cox.

Despite this, what has constantly shone through is the dedication and professionalism of our party staff. I meet many of you in my work, not just in London, but also as I travel around the country meeting voters. I am always impressed by the hard work which you all do, and which is so essential if we are to win the next election.

I am not telling you anything new when I say that working in politics can be stressful at times. However, this has been sometimes exacerbated by attacks on individuals or groups of staff in the national media. In my own view, that is totally unacceptable. It is only right that elected politicians recognise that as party staff, you do not have the right of reply in the media and often have to operate in a political landscape over which you have limited control.

You therefore must not be used as a political football by anybody within the party. I hope you all feel that if you are put in difficult or unacceptable circumstances, you can raise the issue with your line manager, other senior member of staff, or your trade union representatives.

I hope that you are all managing to get a well-deserved break during the holiday period and thank you again for all you do to strengthen our party and in working for the election of the next Labour government.

Best wishes

Jeremy Corbyn MP
Leader of the Labour Party