PoliticsUK

Comrades,

Thank you for inviting me to speak to you today. I’ve spoken at length in this campaign about the roots of the Labour Movement - our historic mission to stand up for ordinary working people, to have their back and be their voice. It’s a mission we’ve stuck to in good times and bad, when times changed, when our economy transformed into something new.

It’s a mission forged in the fires of the Industrial Revolution, when technological change changed the world beyond recognition. It’s a mission reforged after the devastation of two World Wars, as Britain’s changing role in the world reshaped our nation abroad and at home. It’s a mission we now have to rediscover, when Brexit changes our role in the world and technology changes at a pace not seen since that Industrial Revolution.

Throughout these phases of the Labour Movement, it’s been working people powering the gears of this country. When they succeed, this country succeeds. Whether you work by hand or by brain, in the public or the private sector, whether you’re young and starting your first job or old nearing a well-deserved pension, it’s our common endeavour that makes us strong, and that makes our country strong. And everyone counts.

It doesn’t help, with all the challenges we’re facing, that the government in power has an abysmal record on recognising that simple truth about working people. We’ve seen it in 9 years of divisive, cynical policies that have divided rather than healed, marginalised rather than empowered. They inflicted crippling austerity on the unsung heroes who work for all of us in our public services, and those who rely on them. Poverty up, inequality on the rise, families forced to fear whether they can feed or clothe their children, forced to the indignity of having to rely on food banks. And they put the burden for getting us out of crisis not on those with the strongest shoulders, not on those whose greed caused the mess - but on the working people of this country.

It would be bad enough when it’s clear that we can do so much better than this - but our government has the nerve to boast about it. When our public services are stretched to breaking point by an overblown private logic, they say investment has never been higher. When hundreds of thousands of families live from paycheck to paycheck in increasingly precarious and underpaid gigs, they say employment has never been higher. When millions of hard-working Britons up and down this country are wondering when they will see the fruits of recovery, they boast that averages are up. With his trusty calculator in hand, our new Prime Minister sits in Number Ten and boasts of his economic prowess, while he need only look out of the window to see the ruin his party has brought to people’s lives.

We need to stand up for working people once again, first and foremost to defend their rights after Brexit. Because Sir Arthur Stanley can say what he wants about tailoring worker’s rights to British workers and British businesses - with a record such as theirs, you’d be forgiven for thinking it might not be about the rights of our workers and the success of the solid, fair-minded small and medium businesses so many of them work in. Because it’s so far been clear where their allegiances lie: with multinationals who refuse to pay their fair share and with those who see only the economic value of work, rather than its human one, its value in our lives and our communities.

I have been the first to call for Sir Arthur Stanley to come clean about this and rule out backsliding on worker’s rights. I have been clear about my determination not to support any trade deal that doesn’t prevent a race to the bottom on these rights. And I will keep fighting alongside you for these rights, now and in the future.

But that’s the first step. After nine years of cynicism and neglect, we must show anew the value of work to our communities and our nation - and put it at the heart of the new economy that is emerging in the Technological and Green Revolutions to come. We need working people and their unions up and down this country, in all parts of our economy, to stand up and join their forces to ensure that the New Economy is fairer, more dynamic, and more prosperous for all. That we seize the opportunities of the energy transition and the digital economy, but fight for fairness within it. The Trade Union Movement is a crucial, indispensable part of that new partnership to build an economy where everyone counts.

And Labour will do its part under my leadership to replace a cynical politics that undervalues working people and their hard work with a politics that puts their endeavours at the centre. That ends the exploitation in the gig economy. That provides a safe haven in wage insurance and ample retraining opportunities for those outskilled by technological change or the energy transition. That supports self-employed people with bright ideas to become the forward-looking, responsible and fair small and medium businesses of the future. That reforms the tax system so that finally, the people bearing the heaviest burden will be those with the strongest shoulders. That raises the living wage to a true living wage level, that ends unequal pay between men and women and that finally gives a fair deal to the hard-working heroes who work for all of us in our public services.

But we have an opportunity at this time to reshape the very way we’ve been thinking about the contribution of working people. Since Thatcher we've been playing the workplace politics of confrontation. I want to put the workplace politics of cooperation in its place and forge a new constructive relationship between businesses and unions, between businesses and our workers. Part of that is giving a seat at the table to the workforce - a perfectly normal practice in many countries today which strengthens the position not just of working people, but of the businesses where they work as well. It’s not just right to give working people more of a say in businesses where they work - it’s also smart. Because with their hard work every day and their passion for what they do, our workers can speak up, improve productivity and add even more value to their businesses. And I will legislate to make it a reality.

Because in a changing world with our role as a country uncharted, we can’t afford to waste the potential of our skilled, motivated, hard-working, highly productive workforce. Not with the challenges ahead, which also present opportunities. Only with the support of working people - of engineers and electricians, builders and drivers, and all those whose work is vital to the transition - can we get to net zero emissions by 2030. And when we lead the world in that Green Revolution, we’ll create thousands of good, well-paying, stable green-collar jobs. Jobs that will hopefully revitalise communities that have suffered since their coal pits and their industries were closed.

Comrades, when working people succeed, Britain succeeds. But we can only do that if we end this cynical Conservative government with its each-man-for-himself mentality. Its greed-is-good mentality. Its hypocritical chest-beating and its cold calculations that don’t reflect the reality for hard-working Britons. We need to put in its place an optimistic alternative, a compassionate and inclusive alternative. That revalues work from something you do to make a living to something that makes your life, jobs you can be proud of again, that can be meaningful and valuable. It’s such a missed opportunity to reduce work, as Sir Arthur Stanley does, to a bunch of figures on the screen of a pocket calculator, or an election poster. Together as the Labour Movement, we know that it’s so much more than that. It fosters prosperity, it breeds community, it gives meaning and it looks to the future. And without it, we can’t hope to face the challenges of tomorrow.

So join me and the Labour Party, comrades, to once more carry on our historic mission: to represent and mobilise working people for the good of all this country, to build a country where Everyone Counts. So that through the endeavours of millions, tomorrow’s Britain will be one where no man, no community is left behind, that is fairer, greener and more dynamic. Where we work together rather than be played apart.

That is the mission of the Labour Movement today. That’s the vision this leadership contest is all about - and it’s the vision I want to carry through every day for our Labour Movement.

To bring Britain back together - and build that new, green economy where Everyone Counts

Thank you.

Comrades,

I’m honored to be able to speak to you today. For last ten years Labour has let workers down, by failing to make sure that we had a Labour Government that would have fought for their rights, and tried to make their lives better, but instead we have had a Conservative Government that has gutted workers rights and made sure that the new wealth generated in this country goes to the wealthiest. I say no more, I say it’s time that Labour gets serious about beating the Tories instead of beating ourselves. The years of factionalism and division must be over if we are going to deliver what this country needs, which is stronger rights for our workers, better public services, and more equality. We need someone who will aim to unite the separate factions of our party instead of constantly pushing to lower the number of voices and ideas in the room, every wing of the party has ideas worth being in the main platform of this party, and only united will we win. We need a party with one united vision, and as Deputy Leader I will be working everyday to make sure that our party is united with the goal of delivering a Labour Government. Let’s win with Webster.

A Labour Government alone won’t solve the problems of inequality. We need a Government that understands just how deep inequality is in this country, and that believes in progressive policies that put working people first. From green spaces, to wages, to political power, to public services. We need a Labour Government that is willing to address everything in this country, to make sure that everyone has a fair chance in life, where your socio-economic status at birth doesn’t determine your status over your whole life. Where we have a world class education available to all citizens. Where healthcare services are the best in Europe no matter which nation you are from. It’s time to have a government that is willing to address the environmental inequality that leads to shorter less healthy lives for the poorer among us, especially those of us from minority backgrounds. This leadership election we can elect a leadership team ready to fight for more equality, and to deliver a Labour government, when the Tory government on DUP life support collapses.

A Labour government must be ready to fight for workers so that they can have a fair chance during negotiations. It’s time for a new Workers bill of rights that not only enshrines collective bargaining for employees at companies with over one hundred workers, but that makes sure that your union can truly fight for you! A Labour Government that fails to deliver strong workers rights post Brexit is no better than a Tory Government. When the Labour Party returns to Government, I will be working everyday to make sure that we not only protect but finally strengthen workers rights from generations of Tory attacks. We have one chance to get this right, because we cannot continue to let down the workers of our nation. We need a workers rights bill that will not only continue to fight the wage gap but will finally end it once and for all. We cannot continue to allow the wealthy in this nation to pay people higher solely on their ethnicity, immigration status, or gender. This bill will need to address sexual harassment at work, and protect LGBTQ+ rights of workers. Everyone has a right to work free of discrimination and harassment.

For a moment I’d like to focus on public service workers, I think it’s time that we had a government that actually recognizes that our public service workers deserve respect. I think it’s time that our public service workers received a real raise. I think that it’s time that we made up for their years of austerity and budget cuts and showed that we do actually appreciate their hard work for this nation. Austerity doesn’t work and it’s time to undo all of the damage it has done to our public services. You have to appreciate the way the conservatives create a problem only to sell the solution. For police and border they cut the number of workers, and then say that we are weak on crime. I believe that a Labour government must fight to make the lives better for all Brits and that requires a strong public sector on all fronts. Anything less is a failure of a Labour Government. We cannot continue to allow for the Conservatives to keep selling off parts of our public services to the private sector. We need to make the NHS stronger, our education system better. Only a Labour Government will bring the UK to once again have the best public services in Europe.

Over the last few ours our leadership campaign has been marred with anti-Semitic charges. Antisemitism has no place in the Labour movement. We must recognize where antisemitism exists in our own beliefs, actions, words, and make sure that we work to make sure that we speak out against it where it does exist. Let me be very clear, I believe actions speak louder than words, and we need new leadership that’s prepared to act. The revelations surrounding Hilda Harrington’s behavior are disturbing, and I for one will not stand for them. Samantha Berman deserves to be respected, heard, and taken seriously. As the next Deputy Leader of the Labour Party I can make this promise: I will prioritize the voices of those who represent the communities we are trying to help, rather than silence and ignore when it’s politically advantageous to do so.

The Labour party has let this fester inside of us for too long, and it’s time that we work towards removing actors that have protected people. We need to make reforms that prevents our leader from intervening in internal party disciplinary actions in order to help protect their political allies, or protect people who are anti-Semitic. The Labour party cannot fix this issue if we do not recognize our own biases and work towards improving the movement every step of the way.

Unity and bold policies are our way back into government. The future is truly bright only if we are ready to be a united party against the Tories. We cannot continue to let down the workers in our nation by continuing to fail to deliver a Labour government. Unity will be our strength, and I will spend everyday making sure that our party can be one united front, for the betterment of all Britons. I believe strongly that my vision of a unified party with one strong message will lead us back to government. We will win with Webster! Thank you all!