Labour hopefuls go head-to-head in hustings

In 24-degree heat, party members went to the Steam Museum to watch hopefuls Yvette Cooper, Andy Burnham, Liz Kendall and Jeremy Corbyn go head-to-head in the Labour leadership hustings event.

The four candidates faced nine questions from the public as town supporters got their chance to voice pressing issues ahead of August’s leadership election.

Social housing, mental health services and education were at the forefront of the hour-long Q&A as two firm favourites emerged from the political melee.

Shadow Health Secretary Mr Burnham drew roars of approval from the crowd when he spoke of the need to do away with various schooling systems and invest more in the next generation.

“I believe in comprehensive education not free schools or academies. Education shouldn’t matter what your postcode is or where you come from. Education is a market nowadays and it’s time to give everyone the same start in life,” he said.

John Keepin, of Haydon Wick, believes the MP for Leigh has the confidence to succeed to the leadership position.

“It was a good presentation and none of them were that evasive or slippery with their answers which impressed me,” he said.

“I think Andy Burnham came off the best. He was passionate and considerate and I think it’s quite likely we could win if we had him.”

And town voters weren’t shy in theorising where Labour went wrong under Ed Miliband’s leadership with many blaming the party’s lurch to the left.

Fiona Armstrong, of Moredon, said: “Where we fell down was strategy, it was never clear enough or defined enough, we went too far in one direction.

“Andy Burnham sounds the part and has a clear vision for how he wants the party to look, that’s the first step.

“There needs to be a lot of work done to re-establish Labour in this town, this isn’t a quick gain. I agree I think they do need to appeal to people’s aspirations once more.”

Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper captured the imagination of Swindon when she praised firms such as Honda and Nationwide based in the town.

She said the future of the economy comes down to creating two million jobs in the specialist hi-tech industry.

Linda Bacon, of Covingham, is lending her support to Mrs Cooper, who she said has the tenacity to take on Number 10.

“Yvette Cooper was my favourite, she seems like somebody who would be tough enough to deal with David Cameron and we finally need a strong leader,” she said.

“She can get the Labour party back where we need to be rather than sinking. I like that she wants to bring more digital jobs to Swindon too.”

However, it was Left-wing leadership candidate Jeremy Corbyn who received the day’s warmest response by reiterating his anti-austerity ethos when he promised to “address issues of inequality and build an economy that is evolving for the good of all”.

In a morning of explanations and renewed promises, newly reinvigorated Labour promised a political rebirth, with the crushing May 7 defeat blamed on their failure to “emotionally connect” with the voting public.

Cuts to legal aid, the renationalisation of the railways, social housing, socialism and black and minority ethnic votes also contributed to the session.

As the quartet wound down this battle and prepared to move on, they resolved to “reach in all directions” to win the 2020 election.

THE CANDIDATES

LIZ Kendall, 44, is the MP for Leicester West. Since 2011, she has acted as Shadow Minister for Care and Older People. She believes that a more localised approach to power and a renewed focus on children’s services is the way Labour will win back its two critical seats.
1. To win back Swindon, people need to be able to trust us on the economy. With my leadership we’d be a party that’s for sound public finances and backing great businesses that create decent jobs for people in Swindon. That’s the only way we can get the debt and deficit down and be able to invest in our schools and our health service.
2. I want to be Labour’s first woman leader and Prime Minister because I believe everyone should get the chance to fulfil their potential – no matter where you’re born, what your parents did, your gender, sexuality or the colour of your skin. This starts with the very earliest years of life. I know, from when I was Director of the Maternity Alliance charity before I became an MP, that inequality shapes children’s futures before their lives have begun. So I will make it my priority to ensure that every child in Swindon gets the very best start in life.
3. I will make sure we get power out of Whitehall and down to our towns, cities and communities.

JEREMY Corbyn, 66, has been the MP for Islington North since 1983. He wants to see a greater focus on mental health services the railway network combined with anti-austerity measures in the town.
1. I’d like to see a revamped railway system with a focus on expanding the electrification of the network. Standing here in the Steam museum today makes you realise what great machinery Swindon and the country was built on on and how important it is to our way of life. It’s the very lifeblood of our country.
2. Mental health services need to have a light shone on them, especially to help young people. The support these services give can be life-changing and life-saving, alongside regular practice. We should talk about it and protect the people in the town we live in.
3. Ending austerity is the key to turning this party and this country around. Regrowth of the economy, ending the cuts and letting our economy evolve so that everyone in Swindon and the country benefits is the way we can progress.

ANDY Burnham, 45, has been Labour MP for Leigh since 2001 and the Shadow Secretary of State for Health since 2011. He believes aiding Swindon’s property market and an increased focus on mental health services will win back support in Swindon.
1.People have to be able to realise their dream of home ownership and We want to encourage first-time buyers to get on the property ladder. I think people are waiting for the right time to buy property and in these difficult financial circumstances it can be a struggle. We want to help first-time buyers in Swindon get on the property ladder through a rent-to-own scheme.
2.We need to invest in mental health services here in Swindon, to make sure they are treated equally alongside traditional health services and not seen as the "Cinderella" health service.
3.We need to invest in social housing also to give people the opportunity to succeed, no matter what their background is, so that everybody has the same chances.

YVETTE Cooper, 46, is Shadow Home Secretary and has been MP for Normanton, Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley since 2010, having previously been the MP for Pontefract and Castleford since 1997.
1. The first thing I would want is more action taken here in Swindon. I would want a lot more devolution and to take back the power from the big cities. I think that smaller cities, towns and villages should be able to make decisions on a more independent scale, and if we get devolution they can achieve that.
2. I would want to encourage the growth of the digital and high-tech job industry here in Swindon. Companies like Nationwide and Honda that are based here are key to this. Let’s get that support for these emerging skill-sets so that people can get the right job regardless of their background.
3. I would encourage the growth of children’s centres in Swindon. Anne Snelgrove worked tirelessly to protect those centres and if we do not support families then we are doing something very wrong.