Labour leadership hopeful Diane asks party to reject 'suit and tie brigade'
LABOUR leadership candidate Diane Abbott urged party supporters to back her bid on a visit to Derby.
The MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington last night spoke to a crowd of about 50 at the Derby West Indian Community Association, off Carrington Street.
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Diane Abbott
Three of the other party candidates – Andy Burnham, David Miliband and Ed Miliband – have also visited the area in the past month.
But Mrs Abbott told people to reject the "suit and tie" brigade and help her become the next party leader – and the next Prime Minister.
She said: "I put myself forward because I knew I brought attributes to the leadership contest that no other candidate did.
"This is a turn-the-page election, I am a turn-the-page candidate. We have a once in a generation chance to change the narrative."
Among the policies on which Mrs Abbott is campaigning are the scrapping of the Trident nuclear deterrent, bringing soldiers home from Afghanistan and raising taxes on financial institutions and high earners.
Repeating the phrase "I have a vision", she told her supporters in Derby that she wanted to "broaden" the Labour Party and engage with women and the young.
She said Labour had lost millions of followers because it had not listened to its own members over the invasion of Iraq, the 10p tax rate and tuition fees.
And she hit out at the current Government's public sector cuts, saying it would hit the people of Derby twice – with jobs lost and fewer services available.
Meanwhile, former Labour deputy leader Roy Hattersley, and Derby North MP Chris Williamson, backed Ed Miliband to be the new leader of the party at a union meeting last night .
Speaking to members of Unite at Pride Park Stadium, Mr Williamson said Ed Miliband was the person who could take Labour forward.
"All the candidates have good qualities but Ed stands out.
"We are in a good place with the party but Ed can bring us forward," he said.
Mr Hattersley also backed Mr Miliband, who was not at the meeting because of engagements in Liverpool.
"Ed will be the one who will lead us to win the next election," he said.
"He is brave enough to say what needs changing for Labour to be successful."
2 Comments
by ade, heanor
Thursday, September 02 2010, 1:40AM
“Labour Party under control of E .U.so are the Cons. Resist . BNP.”
by Irish Mick, Nottingham
Wednesday, September 01 2010, 8:25PM
“Pity Mr Miliband didn't open his mouth before "New Labour" got thrown out of office, Ed Balls was the same regarding the immigration issues because he knew of the problems that exist, but chose to sit on his hands and do nowt,not one mention of repealing the Thatcher Laws of social repression and freedom of industrial rights to industrial action in reforming the Employment Laws also re-regulation of the greedy banks of Britain, We should go back to the old Labour Party principals and cane the bosses and greedy shareholders who are raking in millions whilst our kids are suffering at the hands of the foriegn EU and far eastern immigrant workers who cannot even speak the language let alone work for a living, being employed for peanuts, the people have to have a voice in the running of the country because we are being made second class citizens behind the immigrant.”