LABOUR leader hopeful Rebecca Long-Bailey has slammed the idea that Brits don’t want socialism as “bollocks”.
The leftie MP said she didn’t believe no one wanted Labour’s socialist policies, even after the most crushing defeat since 1935.
Rebecca Long-Bailey has been branded the “continuity Corbyn” candidate
Ms Long-Bailey, who has gone to great lengths to claim she is not a “continuity Corbyn” candidate, told a private Labour-insiders dinner it was “bollocks” that people didn’t want socialism.
She told a dinner for retiring Blyth Valley MP Ronnie Campbell the December election defeat left her “in a state of shock” because “everybody loved the Labour party” in the “people’s republic of Salford”, the Huffington Post reported.
She said: “We had a few wobbly people on the doorstep because of Brexit but I thought everything was going to be alright”
She believed “the worst case scenario” for Labour would be a hung parliament.
She said: “I was in a state of shock and it was as if everything I believed (was) being ripped up before my very eyes, that everything we fought and we’re so proud of was suddenly invalidated, (that) no one wanted us, no one wanted socialism.”
“And then I pushed that thought out of my head, because I thought ‘that’s bollocks’”
Ms Long-Bailey also took a dig at her running mate, Lisa Nandy, during a rant about the resignations from Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet in 2016.
She said: “I went in and spoke to John (McDonnell) and I started ranting and I think my exact words were ‘if they think they are going to get rid of us then they’re going to have to carry me out kicking and screaming’ and I sat in that office until about 3am going through all the clauses.”
She claimed documents held on a “shared drive” of the shadow Treasury team had been taken.
Ms Nandy resigned from her post as Shadow energy secretary and Sir Keir Starmer resigned as shadow home office minister.
Mr Corbyn sang Ms Long-Bailey’s praises at the same dinner, saying she had given a “brilliant performance” in the leadership race.
Ms Long-Bailey has secured the backing of the trade union Unite, the Bakers union and Moment, giving her the three nominations she needs for this stage of the leadership race.
Sir Keir Starmer has also hit the magic number of three nominations from affiliated Labour party members – including two trade unions.
Sir Keir is at the front of the race according to the latest odds from Bet365 which put him on 3/10.
Ms Long-Bailey is close behind on 4.
The candidates have until February 14 to get the nominations, or 33 nominations from 33 constituency Labour parties to make it to the final stage of the race – a ballot of register Labour members.
The final leader will be announced on April 4.
