At Long Bailey launch event. Fair to say- the slickest so far by a mile. 
New intake MP @KimJohnsonMP: “We didn’t get the election result we wanted or that we deserved.”
.@KimJohnsonMP: “If you think for one second that this strong and determined and capable woman is some kind of continuity candidate then you are very much mistaken.” #RLB2020
Room similar to Corbyn coalition. Mix of quite old and the quite young. Nonetheless whole vibe of the event very millennial. Can’t underestimate the importance of it. Corbyn’s quality of branding and air of modernity gave it real push/energy in 2015.
Here she is. A few try to break out into a chant of “ohhh becca Long Bailey”. Probably not helpful in trying to shirk off “continuity candidate” label.
Long Bailey gets a laugh: “if someone had told me I’d be standing here in 2020 saying I was going to be leader of the Labour Party and the next Prime Minister I’d have thought they had stumbled out of the Haçienda having taken one or two illicit substances.”
Long Bailey takes pot shot at the EU (and its defenders, hello Keir) talking about remote elites based on Brussels “with Westminster not feeling much closer.”
RLB pledges to abolish the House of Lords and replace it with an elected senate based outside of London.
Mind you, on RLB Brussels bashing point, worth saying there isn’t an obvious constituency within the Labour Party which is amendable to it. Just tonight, am told Hartlepool CLP (leave voting seat) backed Starmer, as Leigh did yesterday.
RLB: “I’ll be the first to say that on anti-Semitism we didn’t act quickly enough...we have got to take robust action. We need to make sure that we have a robust independent system to deal with anti-S...I know we can do that and we can do it v v quickly.”
If it could be done “v v quickly” rather begs the question why it hasn’t happened before, of course
I ask RLB that given this appears to be a two horse race, why should members vote for her over Starmer? She replies that “I’m not from a London bubble” that she understands why so many Labour voters felt let down. Firmer and more wounding answer than I thought she’d give.
RLB pretty fluent tonight. Seemed relaxed, comfortable, making jokes. I could see the hustings working for her, all the time making implicit criticisms of Starmer that we saw tonight without his being able to really respond. Interesting.
And nowwwwww this
How’s your Friday night?
How’s your Friday night?
