Victory For Corbyn At Brentford and Isleworth Labour Meeting

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Large majority back him for party leader while Ealing supports Owen Smith

Brentford & Isleworth constituency Labour Party members voted by almost 2-1 in favour of retaining Jeremy Corbyn as leader last night (Wednesday August 10). However, a similar meeting in Ealing voted in favour of Owen Smith.

The meeting in Hounslow, which was held to decide who to support in the forthcoming leadership contest, voted by 124 to 64 to support Jeremy Corbyn, handing a victory to the pro-Corbyn group, Momentum, against the wishes of the local MP.

Jeremy Corbyn

The result of the Ealing Central & Acton vote at its meeting was Jeremy Corbyn for 79 and 88 for Owen Smith 88 with two spoiled. Local MP Rupa Huq supported Mr. Smith.

The MP for Brentford & Isleworth, Ruth Cadbury, who was not at the meeting, recently wrote to members saying she was backing Owen Smith for leader.

Salman Shaheen of the pro-Corbyn group, Momentum , which has been highly vocal in its support for the current leader, said he was very proud that the Constituency Labour Party stood behind Mr. Corbyn.

"The result very much reflects the national support for Corbyn across the party. He will win again by a landslide. And when he does I hope we as a party can unite behind him to make sure we have a Labour government in 2020 that can reverse the devastation the Tories have brought upon our country and its poorest and most vulnerable people.

Recently Ruth Cadbury said that she had voted against Mr. Corbyn in the 'no confidence motion' of the Parliamentary Party and doubted his ability to lead Labour into Government. Momentum, has criticised Ms. Cadbury for her position

In a letter to members outlining why she is backing Owen Smith, and not Jeremy Corbyn, Ruth Cadbury said: "Owen Smith offers the opportunity to reach out to people who have voted Labour in the past but who no longer do. Polls consistently show that we are now down to our core vote at best, and that will never be enough to win an election and certainly not for this seat to remain Labour."

"I have been loyal to our leader since his election last year, and have seen how he leads up close. Shadow ministers who I know and respect and who were appointed by Jeremy have found their work undermined. This is despite pursuing party policy agreed with him - look at Alan Johnson, Lilian Greenwood, Thangam Debbonaire and Sharon Hodgson. His team don’t engage with the mainstream media yet this is how most voters learn of our policies.

"For these reasons I cannot vote for Jeremy. We need a leader who has the policies and the competence to win the next elections and Owen Smith is that leader.

Momentum say that party membership has more than doubled under Jeremy Corbyn, and that despite Cadbury's fears, Labour's electoral record under his leadership has been impressive, winning numerous by-elections with an increased share of the vote and recapturing the London mayoralty, among other victories.

There are currently 1,953 Labour Party members in the constituency, an increase of 650 since January 2016, when there were about 1,300.