Jeremy Corbyn was re-elected as Labour leader, comfortably defeating his challenger Owen Smith, and scoring 61.8% of the total vote, a larger margin of victory than last year.
He said he was “honoured” to have been elected in a contest that followed months of in-fighting and open rebellion by many Labour MPs.
More than half a million party members, trade unionists and registered supporters voted in the contest, and Corbyn won 313,209 votes, compared with Smith’s 193,229.
Corbyn promised to reach out to his opponents, saying they must now unite to oppose Theresa May’s administration, which he said was not new but is David Cameron’s government with “a new hard-right edge, repackaged with progressive slogans”.
He said: “I’ve no doubt this party can win the next general election, whenever the prime minister decides to call it.”
He went on to say that there is “far more that unites us than divides us”. Repeating a pledge he made to critics before the election result, he added: “Let’s wipe that slate clean” and accepted that Labour has a “duty of care” to its members and condemns “intimidation and abuse”.
That apparent olive branch was aimed at those Labour MPs who resigned from the shadow cabinet in June over his leadership and who could return in an attempt to heal the sharp divisions over the party’s future direction. However, the question of whether members of the top team should be elected in the future – and by whom – has yet to be settled.
Corbyn was first elected Labour leader in September 2015, when he beat three other candidates and got 59.5% of the vote. Turnout was higher this time around, with 77.6% of the 640,500 eligible party members, trade union members and registered supporters confirmed as taking part.
Instant reaction, including from some past critics,was generally positive as the Labour annual conference met in Liverpool. “We are very good at putting ourselves back together…” said deputy leader Tom Watson.
Former Foreign Secretary Dame Margaret Beckett denied that the party has been wasting time on infighting: “I think we’ve been engaged in a mature discussion about the direction of the party in the future.”
Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said: “I know that everyone at this conference is determined to unite the party and that’s what we’ll get on and do.”
And MP Gloria de Piero said: “We’ll all come together behind the leader, whichever side of the debate people have been on. People need to respect that, come together in a spirit of friendship and focus on what’s important, that’s the voters. I am sure people will return to the shadow cabinet.”