Webchat with Labour leadership candidate Owen Smith MP, Tuesday 23 August at 2pm

[BojanaMumsnet]

Hello

We’re pleased to announce a webchat with Owen Smith MP on Tuesday 23 August at 2pm.

Owen has been the MP for Pontypridd, his hometown, since 2010, and has worked as a shadow minister for (at various times) Wales, health, the Treasury, and work and pensions. He spent three years at the Northern Ireland Office and most recently as Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary he led on campaigns that forced U-turns over cuts to support for disabled people and tax credit cuts. He is now standing against Jeremy Corbyn for leadership of the Labour party.

Before Parliament, Owen worked as a journalist at the BBC and as a special adviser to the Labour government, and then as head of policy at Pfizer and head of public affairs at biotech company Amgen. He is married with three teenaged children.

The deadline for voting in the Labour leadership election is 21 September, and the result will be announced on 24 September.

Please do join the chat on Tuesday at 2pm, or if you can’t make it, please leave a question here in advance. And do bear in mind the webchat guidelines - one question each only (follow-ups allowed if there’s time) and please do be polite.

Thanks
MNHQ

APlaceOnTheCouch you and me both.

I liked the answers to the people who had already declared support for him. There were a few of those...

so he didn't answer my question but answered some later questions not surprised well that's one floating voter's vote he won't be getting but i'm not sure the labour party care what public think only party members

They don't (generally) genuinely answer any questions. They have a carefully scripted message they want to deliver (being MN Smiths message was obviously women centric - feminist, reclaim the internet, VAWG etc). They then pick the questions that allow them to deliver the maximum possible of their pre-scripted responses.

What he doesn't seem to understand is that he needs to show, not tell. He's told us he's a feminist but he's only shown us so far that he's got some pretty hardwired sexism in there. Show us being a feminist, Owen, then we might believe you.

Sad thing is, he's still better on women than Corbyn.

Yes it definitely felt pre-written and 'slick', but he will get my vote for promising to rethink the stupid Labour leadership rules. Anything to avoid the JC fiasco happening again.

So.... The point of that we chat was.....?

That was a really pointless read.

I have a feeling neither Owen nor his team had read a MN webchat before which is a pity because it was a missed opportunity.
imo in the last Labour leadership contest both Yvette Cooper and Jeremy Corbyn had excellent webchats, as did Sadiq Khan during the Mayoral contest.
The format can work but this one was poor.

Well I wasn't convinced. I'd like to see someone better take over from Corbyn about a year from now, and for it to be a lot more dignified than this.

Disappointed but not at all surprised he didn't answer my question. FYI Mr Smith, my kids are all Labour members and will vote for Mr Corbyn. Your non answers here are steering me in the same direction.

Thanks for coming to chat Owen