Jeremy Corbyn is making headway in the Tory heartlands

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Friday 05 August 2016 15:48 BST
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Jeremy Corbyn nominated Shami Chakrabarti as one of David Cameron's batch of departure honours
Jeremy Corbyn nominated Shami Chakrabarti as one of David Cameron's batch of departure honours (Getty)

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In today's Independent Andrew Grice tells us that Jeremy Corbyn is living within a fan “bubble”. It seems he is not reaching out to voters and has “made no headway”. I am puzzled by his comments as experience here in deepest Tory territory suggests otherwise. Fifteen months ago Worthing Labour Party had just 150 members whereas today there are 700 and rising. If Corbyn has not been speaking to the 550 new recruits then surely someone has? Are we to believe there are socialist fairies at work in deepest Sussex?

Bill Geddes

Worthing

We, female Labour members, condemn attempts by some women MPs to blame the Leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn and shadow chancellor John McDonnell for alleged bullying in the party. These accusations form part of an unceasing witch hunt against Corbyn and his supporters.

Women in politics have no right to discredit legitimate political opposition as gender based intimidation. MPs are supposed to be public servants, not masters, and we all have a right to peacefully hold them to account.

It is the anti-Corbyn hierarchy that has banned constituency meetings, cancelled the results elections such as in Brighton and Hove CLP, and denied members the right to vote in the leadership election unless they pay an additional £25.

Corbyn’s leadership, the most democratic, anti-sexist, anti-racist and anti-war this party has ever had, has inspired the mass participation of women and men in shaping Labour politics. His anti-austerity programme targets “inequality, neglect, insecurity, prejudice and discrimination” – not only gender balance in Parliament but pay equity for women who are “over-represented in the lowest-paying sectors: cleaning, catering and caring – vital sectors of our economy, doing valuable work, but not work that is fairly rewarded or equally respected.”

It is sad that women MPs, some of whom were part of the first-ever shadow cabinet with a majority of women, have not welcomed this “new politics”. We are glad that one of them has unresigned and we hope that the others will reconsider.

Niki Adams, Kilburn

Nana Asante, Ealing

Cristel Amiss, Kilburn

Caroline Barker, Kilburn

Lynda Bennet, London

Amanda Bentham, Stoke Newington

Nechamah Bonanos, Brixton

Kristina Brandemo, Kensal Rise

Jessica Burke, Brighton

Emily Burnham, Barnet

Linda Burnip, Warwickshire

Sara Callaway, South Kilburn

Vee Cartwright, Brighton

Ellen Clifford, Lewisham

Petra Dando, Camden

Miriam E David, Islington North

Hanna Demel, Kensal Rise

Nina Douglas, North Broxtowe

Una Doyle, Holborn and St Pancras

Marlene Ellis, Streatham

Roisin Francis, South Kilburn

Claire Glasman, Gospel Oak

Beth Granter, Brighton

Bethan Griffiths, Birmingham

Sibyl Grundberg, Tottenham

Charlie Hall, Cambridge

Jo Hammond, Vauxhall

Linda Heiden, Streatham

Christine Hemmingway, Norfolk

Michelle Hemmingway, Rowley Regis, Birmingham

Amy Hills-Fletcher, Hackney South

Jenny Hardacre, Cambridge

Becka Hudson, Islington North

Selma James, Kilburn

Coral Jones, Hackney

Eleanor Kilroy, Winchester

Jem Lindo, Haringey

Ruth London, Kilburn

Nina Lopez, Kilburn

Marie Lynam, Kilburn

Nicola Mann, Childs Hill

Sandra Mann, Childs Hill

Helen Marks, Liverpool

Delia Mattis, Enfield Southgate

Juliet McCaffery, Brighton

Denise McKenna, Welling

Heather Mendick, Hackney South

Firinne Ni Chreachain, Brent

Marion Pencavel, Keighley, West Yorkshire

Paula Peters, Bromley

Rachel Remedios, Oxford

Mena Remedios, Oxford

Ariane Sacco, Kensal Rise

Harriet Sampson, Ealing

Awula Serwah, Brent

Vanessa Stilwell, Dulwich

Cindy Taplin, Hackney South

Mary Taylor, Greenwich

Chrissie Tiller, Hackney

June Turvey, Brent South

Rosa Valdez, Brighton

Flora Wanyu, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire

Laura Watson, Kilburn

Ann Whitehurst, Stoke-on-Trent

Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, Chingford

The Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirivis tells us that Shami Chakrabarti's credibility regarding her Labour’s anti-Semitism report lies in tatters, her having accepted a peerage (Honours list: Jeremy Corbyn accused of 'buying' Labour anti-Semitism report after author is given peerage”, August 5th). Why does he believe this? Did he ignore the evidence and reasoning in the report? If we are going to retain an unelected second chamber, we need a mixture of expertise and social concern, manifested in individuals such as Chakrabarti.

Peter Cave

London

Thomson Holidays

Every right minded person should denounce what happened to Faizah Shaheen. Thomson Holidays should be required at the least to offer an apology. What message does this give to the world?

Rod Hartley

Preston

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