Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (/ˈkɔːrbɪn/; born 26 May 1949)[3] is a British politician serving as Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition since 2015. Corbyn has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington North since 1983.[4] Ideologically, he identifies as a democratic socialist.[5]
Born in Chippenham and raised in both Wiltshire and Shropshire, Corbyn joined Labour as a teenager. Moving to London, he became a trade union representative. In 1974, he was elected to Haringey Council and also became Secretary of Hornsey Constituency Labour Party, until elected as the MP for Islington North in 1983. His activism has included roles in Anti-Fascist Action, the Anti-Apartheid Movement and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and advocating for a united Ireland. As a backbench MP, he frequently voted against the Labour whip, including "New Labour" governments under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. A vocal opponent of the Iraq War, he chaired the Stop the War Coalition from 2011 to 2015. He has received two international awards for his promotion of peace.
Corbyn was elected Labour leader in 2015. The party's membership increased sharply, both during the leadership campaign and following his election. Taking the party to the left, he advocated renationalisation of public utilities and the railways, a less interventionist military policy, and reversals of austerity cuts to welfare and public services. Although critical of the European Union, he supported continued membership in the 2016 referendum. After Labour MPs sought to remove him in 2016, he won a second leadership contest. In the 2017 general election, Labour increased its share of the vote to 40%, resulting in a net gain of 30 seats and a hung parliament, but the party remained in Opposition. In 2019, Corbyn endorsed holding a referendum on any Brexit withdrawal agreement. Media coverage of Corbyn is generally hostile. He has condemned antisemitism but has been criticised for some of his past associations and his response to allegations of antisemitism within the Labour Party.
Corbyn was born in Chippenham, Wiltshire, and lived until the age of seven in the nearby village of Kington St Michael.[6] He is the youngest of the four sons of Naomi Loveday (née Josling; 1915–1987), a maths teacher, and David Benjamin Corbyn (1915–1986), an electrical engineer and expert in power rectifiers. His brother Piers Corbyn is a physicist, meteorologist and weather forecaster.[7][8][9] His parents were Labour Party members[10] and peace campaigners who met in the 1930s at a committee meeting in support of the Spanish Republic at Conway Hall during the Spanish Civil War.[11][12][13]
When Corbyn was seven, the family moved to Pave Lane in Shropshire, where his father bought Yew Tree Manor, a 17th-century country house which was once part of the Duke of Sutherland's Lilleshall estate.[14][6][15] Corbyn attended Castle House School, an independent preparatory school near Newport, Shropshire, before, at age 11, becoming a day student at the Adams' Grammar School in the town.[16][17]
While still at school, he became active in The Wrekin constituency Young Socialists, his local Labour Party, and the League Against Cruel Sports.[17] He joined the Labour Party at age 16[10] and achieved two A-Levels, at grade E, the lowest-possible passing grade, before leaving school at 18.[18][19] Corbyn joined the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) in 1966 whilst at school[20] and later became one of its three vice-chairs and subsequently vice-president.[21] Around this time he also campaigned against the Vietnam War.[22]
After school,[23] Corbyn worked briefly as a reporter for a local newspaper, the Newport and Market Drayton Advertiser.[24] At around the age of 19 he spent two years doing Voluntary Service Overseas in Jamaica as a youth worker and geography teacher.[25][26] He subsequently travelled through Latin America in 1969 and 1970, visiting Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. Whilst in Brazil he participated in a student demonstration in São Paulo against the Brazilian military government. He also attended a May Day march in Santiago, where the atmosphere around Salvador Allende's Popular Unity alliance which swept to power in the Chilean elections of 1970 made an impression on him: "[I] noticed something very different from anything I had experienced... What Popular Unity and Allende had done was weld together the folk tradition, the song tradition, the artistic tradition and the intellectual tradition".[27][28]
Early career and political activities
Returning to the UK in 1971, he worked as an official for the National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers.[29] Corbyn began a course in Trade Union Studies at North London Polytechnic but left after a year without a degree after a series of arguments with his tutors over the curriculum.[30] He worked as a trade union organiser for the National Union of Public Employees and Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union,[16][31] where his union was approached by Tony Benn and "encouraged ... to produce a blueprint for workers' control of British Leyland"; the plans did not proceed after Benn was moved to a different Department.[32]
He was appointed a member of a district health authority and in early 1974, at the age of 24, he was elected to Haringey Council in South Hornsey ward.[33] After boundary changes in 1978 he was re-elected in Harringay ward as councillor, remaining so until 1983.[11][34] As a delegate from Hornsey to the Labour Party conference in 1978, Corbyn successfully moved a motion calling for dentists to be employed by the NHS rather than private contractors.[35] He also spoke in another debate, describing a motion calling for greater support for law and order as "more appropriate to the National Front than to the Labour Party".[36]
Corbyn became the local Labour Party's agent and organiser,[37] and had responsibility for the 1979 general election campaign in Hornsey.[16]
Around this time, he became involved with the London Labour Briefing, where he was a contributor. Described by The Times in 1981 as "Briefing's founder",[38] The Economist in a 1982 article named Corbyn as "Briefing's general secretary figure",[39] as did a profile on Corbyn compiled by parliamentary biographer Andrew Roth in 2004,[40][41] which asserts that he joined the editorial board as General Secretary in 1979.[16] Michael Crick in his 2016 edition of Militant says Corbyn was "a member of the editorial board",[42] as does Lansley, Goss and Wolmar's 1989 work, The Rise and Fall of the Municipal Left.[43] Corbyn said these reports were inaccurate in 2017, telling Sophy Ridge "I read the magazine. I wrote for the magazine. I was not a member of the editorial board. I didn't agree with it."[40][41]
He worked on Tony Benn's unsuccessful deputy leadership campaign in 1981. He was keen to allow former International Marxist Group member Tariq Ali to join the party, despite Labour's National Executive having declared him unacceptable, and declared that "so far as we are concerned ... he's a member of the party and he'll be issued with a card."[44] In May 1982, when Corbyn was chairman of the Constituency Labour Party, Ali was given a party card signed by Corbyn;[45] in November the local party voted by 17 to 14 to insist on Ali's membership "up to and including the point of disbandment of the party".[46]
In the July 1982 edition of Briefing, Corbyn opposed expulsions of the Trotskyist and entryist group Militant, saying that "If expulsions are in order for Militant, they should apply to us too." In the same year, he was the "provisional convener" of "Defeat the Witch-Hunt Campaign", based at Corbyn's then address.[47] The Metropolitan Police's Special Branch monitored Corbyn for two decades, until the early 2000s, as he was "deemed to be a subversive". According to the Labour Party, “The Security Services kept files on many peace and Labour movement campaigners at the time, including anti-Apartheid activists and trade unionists".[48]
Parliamentary backbencher (1983–2015)
Labour in opposition (1983–1997)
Corbyn was selected as the Labour Party candidate for the constituency of Islington North, in February 1982,[20][49] winning the final ballot for selection by 39 votes against 35 for GLC councillor Paul Boateng, who in 1987 became one of the first three Black British MPs.[16] At the 1983 general election he was elected member of Parliament for the constituency,[20] defeating the Independent Labour incumbent Michael O'Halloran, and immediately joined the socialist Campaign Group, later becoming secretary of the group.[50][51] Shortly after being elected to Parliament, he began writing a weekly column for the left-wing Morning Star newspaper.[52] In May 2015, he said that "the Star is the most precious and only voice we have in the daily media".[53] In February 2017, the Morning Star said of Corbyn: "He has been bullied, betrayed and ridiculed, and yet he carries on with the same grace and care he always shows to others – however objectionable their behaviour and treatment of him might be."[54]
In 1983, Corbyn spoke on a "no socialism without gay liberation" platform and continued to campaign for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights.[55]
He was a campaigner against apartheid in South Africa, serving on the National Executive of the Anti-Apartheid Movement,[56] and was arrested in 1984 while demonstrating outside South Africa House, leading, decades later, to a viral image of Corbyn being arrested circulated by supporters on social media.[57][58] This was as a member of the City of London Anti-Apartheid Group (CLAAG) who carried out a "non-stop picket" for 1,408 days to campaign for Nelson Mandela's release from prison. The Anti-Apartheid Movement did not support this protest, as they had agreed not to demonstrate within 30 feet of the embassy, and the picket failed to gain support from the London ANC or Mandela following his release from prison in 1990.[59]
He supported the 1984–85 miners' strike and[60] in 1985 invited striking miners into House of Commons gallery who were then expelled for shouting: "Coal not dole".[55] Corbyn was given a medallion at the end of the strike by the miners in recognition of his help.[60]
In 1985, he was appointed national secretary of the newly launched Anti-Fascist Action.[61]
During the BBC's Newsnight in 1984, Conservative MP Terry Dicks asserted that so-called Labour scruffs (such as Corbyn, who at this time was known for wearing an old polo-necked sweater to the Commons[62]) should be banned from addressing the House of Commons unless they maintained higher standards. Corbyn responded, saying that: "It's not a fashion parade, it's not a gentleman's club, it's not a bankers' institute, it's a place where the people are represented."[63]
Irish politics
A longstanding supporter of a united Ireland, in the 1980s Corbyn met Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams a number of times.[64] "Corbyn consistently said he maintained links with Sinn Fein to work for a resolution to the armed conflict".[64] The British government maintained contact secretly with the IRA leadership for much of this period, too.[64] Corbyn met Adams at the 1983 and 1989 Labour conferences (facilitated by pro-IRA group Red Action)[65] and in 1983 at Westminster, along with a number of other Labour MPs.[66] In 1984, Corbyn and Ken Livingstone invited Adams, two convicted IRA volunteers and other members of Sinn Féin to Westminster.[64] The meeting took place three weeks after the IRA's bombing of the Conservative Party leadership that killed five people.[67][68] A short time after IRA plans to bomb London were foiled in 1996, Corbyn invited Adams to the House of Commons for a press conference to promote Adams' autobiography, Before the Dawn. Northern Ireland secretary Mo Mowlam and Prime Minister Tony Blair condemned the invitation, with Mowlam arguing that it was detrimental to the peace process, and Blair threatening disciplinary action.[69] Adams cancelled the event, to save further embarrassment to Corbyn and to avoid negative publicity.[70] In 2017, Corbyn said that he had "never met the IRA", although Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott later clarified that although he had met members of the IRA, "he met with them in their capacity as activists in Sinn Fein".[71][72]
During the 1980s, he campaigned on behalf of the Guildford Four and Birmingham Six, who were wrongly convicted of responsibility for IRA bombings in England in the mid-70s.[73][74][75][76][77] In 1986, Corbyn was arrested with 15 demonstrators protesting against what they saw as weak evidence and poor treatment during the trial of a group of IRA members including Patrick Magee, who was convicted of the Brighton hotel bombing and other attacks. After refusing police requests to move from outside the court, Corbyn and the other protesters were arrested for obstruction and held for five hours before being released on bail, but were not charged.[78]
According to The Sunday Times, Corbyn was involved in over 72 events connected with Sinn Féin or other pro-republican groups during the period of the IRA's paramilitary campaign.[79] Following the 1987 Loughgall ambush, in which eight IRA members and one civilian were shot dead by the British Army in a pre-planned ambush of an IRA attack on a Royal Ulster Constabulary base, Corbyn attended a commemoration by the Wolfe Tone Society and stated "I'm happy to commemorate all those who died fighting for an independent Ireland."[80][81] Corbyn has said that he had attended the event and a minute of silence to “call for a peace and dialogue process”.[82]
In the early 1990s, MI5 opened a temporary file on Corbyn to monitor his links to the IRA.[83][84][85]
He voted against the 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement, saying "We believe that the agreement strengthens rather than weakens the border between the six and the 26 counties, and those of us who wish to see a United Ireland oppose the agreement for that reason."[86]
In 1994, Corbyn signed a Commons motion condemning the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings, which killed 21 people.[82]
In 1998, he supported and voted for the Good Friday Agreement, saying he looked forward to "peace, hope and reconciliation in Ireland in the future."[64]
Israeli embassy bombers
Corbyn supported the campaign to overturn the convictions of Jawad Botmeh and Samar Alami for the 1994 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in London arguing that there was insufficient evidence to tie them to the act; Botmeh and Alami had admitted possessing explosives and guns but denied they were for use in Britain. Corbyn signed five early day motions in support of their case between 2002 and 2006, raising issues of public interest and calling for their parole. The convictions were upheld by the High Court of Justice in 2001 and by the European Court of Human Rights in 2007.[87][88]
Poll tax protests and select committee membership
In 1990, Corbyn opposed the poll tax (formally known as the Community Charge)[89] and nearly went to jail for not paying the tax.[57] He appeared in court the following year as a result.[90]
Corbyn sat on the Social Security Select Committee from 1992 to 1997, the London Regional Select Committee from 2009 to 2010, and the Justice Select Committee from 2010 to 2015.[91]
Labour in government (1997–2010)
Between 1997 and 2010, during the most recent Labour Government, Corbyn was the Labour MP who voted most often against the party whip, including three-line whip votes. In 2005 he was identified as the second most rebellious Labour MP of all time when the party was in government.[92] He was the most rebellious Labour MP in the 1997–2001 Parliament,[93] the 2001–2005 Parliament[94] and the 2005–2010 Parliament, defying the whip 428 times while Labour was in power.[95] Jacobin described him as "a figure who for decades challenged them [Labour Party elites] from the backbench as one of the most rebellious left-wing members of parliament."[96]
Stop the War Coalition and anti-war activism
In October 2001, Corbyn was elected to the steering committee of the Stop the War Coalition, which was formed to oppose the Afghanistan War which started later that year. In 2002, Corbyn reported unrest : "there is disquiet...about issues of foreign policy" among some members of the Labour party. He cited "the deployment of troops to Afghanistan and the threat of bombing Iraq" as examples.[97] He was vehemently opposed to the Iraq War in 2003, and spoke at dozens of anti-war rallies in Britain and overseas. He spoke at the February anti-Iraq War protest which was said to be the largest such protest in British political history.[98] In 2006, Corbyn was one of 12 Labour MPs to support Plaid Cymru and the Scottish National Party's call for a parliamentary inquiry into the Iraq War.[99] He was elected chair of the coalition in succession to Andrew Murray in September 2011, but resigned once he became leader of the Labour Party in September 2015.[100]
Parliamentary groups and activism
Corbyn is a member of a number of Parliamentary Trade Union Groups: he is sponsored by several trade unions, including UNISON, Unite and the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers. He is a supporter of the Unite Against Fascism pressure group. Corbyn was chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on the Chagos Islands, chair of the APPG on Mexico, Vice-Chair of the APPG on Latin America and vice-chair of the APPG on Human Rights. He has advocated for the rights of the forcibly-removed Chagossians to return to the British Indian Ocean Territory
Corbyn appeared on a call-in show on Press TV, an Iranian government television channel, several times between 2009 and 2012. He was criticised for appearing on the channel in light of Iran executing and imprisoning homosexuals, as well as Corbyn not questioning contributors who called the BBC "Zionist liars" and described Israel as a "disease".[102][103] Corbyn said in response that he used the programme to address "human rights issues" and that his appearance fee was "not an enormous amount" and was used to help meet constituency office costs.[104][102][103] Corbyn's final appearance was six months after the network was fined by Ofcom for its part in filming an interview with Maziar Bahari, an Iranian journalist, saying the interview had been held under duress and after torture.[104] Ofcom ruled in November 2010 that Corbyn did not show due impartiality when he appeared on Press TV as a guest on George Galloway’s weekly show.[105]
Labour in opposition (2010–2015)
In the 2010 Labour Party leadership election, Corbyn supported Diane Abbott in the first round in which she was eliminated; thereafter, he supported Ed Miliband.[106]
Corbyn was one of 16 signatories to an open letter to Ed Miliband in January 2015 calling for Labour to make a commitment to opposing further austerity, to take rail franchises back into public ownership, and to strengthen collective bargaining arrangements.[107][108]
Before becoming party leader Corbyn had been returned as member of Parliament for Islington North seven times, gaining 60.24% of the vote and a majority of 21,194 in the 2015 general election.[109]
Leadership of the Labour Party (2015–present)
Following the Labour Party's defeat at the general election on 7 May 2015, Ed Miliband resigned as its party leader, triggering a leadership election. Corbyn decided to stand as a candidate, having been disillusioned by the lack of a left-wing voice, and said to his local newspaper, The Islington Tribune, that he would have a "clear anti-austerity platform". He also said he would vote to scrap the Trident nuclear weapons system and would "seek to withdraw from Nato". He suggested that Britain should establish a national investment bank to boost house-building and improve economic growth and lift wages in areas that had less investment in infrastructure. He would also aim to eliminate the current budget deficit over time and restore the 50p top rate of income tax.[110] He added: "This decision is in response to an overwhelming call by Labour Party members who want to see a broader range of candidates and a thorough debate about the future of the party. I am standing to give Labour Party members a voice in this debate".[111] He indicated that, if he were elected, policies that he put forward would need to be approved by party members before being adopted and that he wanted to "implement the democratic will of our party".[112] The other candidates were Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham and Shadow Care Minister Liz Kendall.[113][114] Several who nominated Corbyn later said they had ensured he had enough votes to stand, more to widen the political debate within the party than because of a desire or expectation that he would win.[115][116] Nonetheless, he rapidly became the frontrunner among the candidates. He benefited from a large influx of new members as well as new affiliated and registered supporters introduced under Miliband.[117] He was elected leader with 60% of the vote and membership numbers continued to climb after the start of Corbyn's leadership.[118]
At the Second Reading of the Welfare Reform and Work Bill in July 2015, Corbyn joined 47 Labour MPs to oppose the Bill, describing it as "rotten and indefensible", whilst the other three leadership candidates abstained under direction from interim leader Harriet Harman.[119] In August 2015, he called on Iain Duncan Smith to resign as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions after it was reported that thousands of disabled people had died after being found fit to work by Work Capability Assessments (instituted in 2008) between 2011 and 2014, although this was challenged by the government and by FullFact who said that the figure included those who had died and therefore their claim had ended, rather than being found fit for work.[120][121]
Following a rule change under Miliband, members of the public who supported Labour's aims and values could join the party as "registered supporters" for £3 and be entitled to vote in the election.[122] There was speculation the rule change would lead to Corbyn being elected by registered supporters without majority support from ordinary members.[123] Corbyn was elected party leader in a landslide victory on 12 September 2015 with 59.5% of first-preference votes in the first round of voting.[124] Corbyn would have won in the first round with 51% of votes, even without "£3 registered supporters", having gained the support of 49.6% of full members and 57.6% of affiliated supporters.[123][125] Corbyn's 40.5% majority was a larger proportional majority than that attained by Tony Blair in 1994.[126][127] His margin of victory was said to be "the largest mandate ever won by a party leader".[128]
First term as Leader of the Opposition (2015–2017)
