NEWS of Jeremy Corbyn’s landslide Labour leadership election win was met with a mixed response across Lancashire, including one local MP saying the veteran lef-winger will ‘put thousands out of work’.
Within minutes of the news being announced, Conservative MP for Wyre and Preston North Ben Wallace took to social media to criticise the new leader.
The Tory politician tweeted: “Dear Barrow in Furness, Labour have just elected a man who will close the sub yards and put thousands out of work.”
The tweet is thought to be in reference to Corbyn’s opposition to the renewal of Britain’s submarine-based Trident nuclear weapon system.
Others, however, congratulated the politician on his win.
Local comedian Steve Royle tweeted “At last! We have a proper elder statesman leading a major political party in this country, not just a media friendly face!”
Ali Amla, vice-chairman of Preston Faith Forum, posted: “The Labour Party needs radical change and this is the beginning.”
Veteran left-winger Corbyn won the leadership of the Labour Party by a landslide, taking almost 60% of more than 400,000 votes cast in a result which marks a fundamental change of direction for the party.
The Islington North MP defeated rivals Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall in the first round of counting, taking 251,417 (59.5%) of the 422,664 votes.
Now the new leader needs to find a way to unite the party. In the wake of the result, a number of senior Labour figures announced they would not sit in Corbyn’s shadow cabinet.
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