Loading ...Champion of Palestinian rights wins leadership of UK Labour Party
In a stunning upset, Jeremy Corbyn has been elected to lead the UK Labour Party.
The veteran left-wing lawmaker and vocal supporter of Palestinian rights took almost 60 percent of the vote, trouncing the establishment candidates Yvette Cooper, Andy Burnham and Liz Kendall.
Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair had warned that the party would face “annihilation” if Corbyn won.
But that did not deter more than 250,000 people who voted for Corbyn in the first ever one-person, one-vote internal party election of its kind.
The new system allowed members of the public to sign up as registered supporters for a token payment of £3 ($5), in addition to regular dues-paying party members and affiliated supporters (mostly trade union members). Corbyn won in all three sectors of the party.
Previous leaders have been chosen by an electoral college that gave greater weight to the votes of lawmakers and trade unions.
In a victory speech to an ecstatic crowd at a special party conference in London, Corbyn reiterated key themes of his campaign: social solidarity and working to eradicate poverty at home, and championing peace abroad.
Corbyn said his first act as leader would be to attend a rally in London to support refugees who have been arriving in Europe often to a cold and cruel welcome from EU governments.
“Let’s deal with the refugee crisis with humanity, with support, with help, with compassion,” Corbyn said, “but recognize that going to war creates a legacy of bitterness and problems.”
Source: electronicintifada.net