Jeremy Corbyn told party activists after Labour’s bruising Leadership contest: “Together we are very, very strong”.
From now on the party’s priority must be “reaching out, involving people in politics that matters,” he added.
Polling closed as Tribune went to press with Corbyn well ahead of challenger Owen Smith in focused party surveys, but his message was aimed wider than his committed supporters: “When we’re campaigning we’re reaching out to people to say: ‘Austerity doesn’t have to be, student fees don’t have to be, homelessness doesn’t have to be, inequality doesn’t have to be, discrimination doesn’t have to be’.
“Whatever the result is, we – all of us – have mounted the most incredible campaign, mobilised a lot of people, and we’ve actually changed the political discourse in this country.”
But Smith said Labour was “at a crossroads” between pursuing power and “ongoing division and opposition”. In an “open letter” to Labour supporters, Smith said he had been “inspired” by the members he had encountered during the campaign and was “proud” of the policies he had put forward.
He said the Conservatives were following a “hard-right agenda, which could do untold damage to our country”, adding that “unless we have a radical, credible opposition to the Tories then we won’t be able to stop them – now or at the next election”.
In the run up to both the Leadership declaration and the annual party conference in Liverpool, the ruling national executive were deadlocked over whether future Shadow Cabinet should be elected by MPs, a move championed by deputy leader Tom Watson, while Corbyn backed a wider review of party democracy which could include a stronger role for trade unions. NEC members were unable to reach a compromise after eight hours of talks. Corbyn agreed to further talks with Watson and other senior figures before the next NEC meeting at the party conference. Watson said his proposal could help Labour “put the band back together” for a possible early election.
And in his conference speech Corbyn will put Labour on a general election footing. He will tell the party that Theresa May could call an election as early as next spring to secure a mandate for her Brexit negotiations. He hopes the prospect of an early poll might instil some discipline among Labour MPs, and he would instruct his MPs to vote for an early election which, under the fixed-term parliaments act, must be supported by at least two-thirds of MPs.
The prime minister said earlier this month that an election should not be held before 2020, although strategists across the parties believe that she is keeping the early option open. Former Liberal Democrat leader Lord Ashdown said that Mrs May could be forced to call an election if she opts for a Brexit deal which alarms Eurosceptics.
Lord Ashdown said: “If she chooses – as I think she will – something that’s in the best interests of Britain if it has to be Brexit, ie continued access to the single market, she has 100 MPs who are going to say ‘up with this we will not put’. She then loses her majority in the House of Commons. Sooner or later she has to bring that back to the House; she will find herself in that conundrum.”