Webchat with Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party, Tuesday 30 May at midday

[BojanaMumsnet]

Hello,

We’re pleased to announce a webchat with the leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn on Tuesday 30 May at midday.

Jeremy has been MP for Islington North since 1983, and has been Labour leader since 2015, having been re-elected when Owen Smith stood against him in 2016. Labour’s manifesto for the election on June 8 proposes ‘a Brexit deal that puts our economy and living standards first’, tax rises for the top 5% of earners, the renationalisation of the railways, free school meals for all primary pupils, the abolition of university tuition fees, and a £250 billion investment fund for infrastructure and the economy.

Please do join the chat on Tuesday at midday, or if you can’t make it, leave a question here in advance. Please do share the webchat on social - the more, the merrier!

As always, please remember our webchat guidelines - one question each, follow-ups if there’s time and please keep it civil .

(As we approach the General Election we will endeavour to offer you a balanced diet of webchats with politicians from different parties. More announcements coming soon.)

Thanks
MNHQ

@Wellysocksbox

Your last Mumsnet web chat caused quite a stir in the media with your response to the biscuit question. Why are you anti sugar? Surely you should be supporting the British Sugar industry. What did sugar ever do to you that you are against it so much? Everything in moderation, my dear, and perhaps you ought to apply that rule to your policies.

Hi,

Great question! I do consume some sugar, we all do, my whole point was and is that too much sugar is placed in soft drinks, fast food and in particular, in children's dishes. Sugar can be bad and lead to diabetes and other conditions. Hence we need strong regulation of soft drinks and food additives.

I was asked on my first visit about my favourite biscuit, I replied shortbread and since then have been given many gifts of packets of shortbread! And I've yet to discover a low-sugar or no-sugar packet. I suspect it doesn't exist!

As you probably know, I make jam, and that again has to have sugar in it. So let's agree moderation but keep our kids healthy.

Sorry if this has been asked but what will you do with Diane Abbott?

Hello Jeremy I know you won't have a lot of time, but please would you read some of the threads re housing/Dla/pip/education/food banks these are real people's lives being destroyed for nothing more than ideology, get your message across please I cannot bear the thought of another Tory government, thank you.

Hello Jeremy,
As a lifelong Labour supporter, i would just like to say i thought you did an excellent job with Paxman last night! but you sounded absolutely knackered on Womans hour this morning ... Keep up the brilliant work, there are so many people behind you, and get an early night tonight!

I'm a big fan but surely we get a 'sorry I'm late' ?

JC makes jam #swoon

Hi Jeremy.

You have my vote on June 8th. I have a 14 month old son and am frightened for his future if the Tories get back in.

Domestic violence rates in this country are still shockingly high. What do you, if elected, intend to do about continued male violence against women and the pervading attitudes in society which enable this to be so widespread?

Hi Jeremy,

Whilst I as a carer for my mother am pleased to hear about the extra £500 a year you plan to give myself and many others in my situation, I was wondering how you think it can be in anyway justifiable to still keep Carers on a wage of (based on having to do 35 hours of care to qualify for Carers allowance) £2.05 an hour? Especially considering unpaid Carers save the UK £132 billion a year.

Many thanks.

Hello Jeremy

How do you cope with the constant personal attacks and criticisms both from within the party to media? Some of the onslaught is risible but it still must cut to the quick.

Thank you.

Hi Jeremy, I have to say I've never been a Labour voter, but even though I don't agree with all your personal convictions, what has convinced me is that you seem to be one of the very few who sticks by what you believe - even when its not the party line or what the spin doctors want you to say.

How do you think you could lead what has been a pretty divided party if you came to power? Or do you think people would settle down and get on with the job with rather less whinging?

Jeremy I am an adult if I want to buy Irn bru then I should be allowed too.

Hi Jeremy.

Why do young people tend not to vote at the same rate as older people?

You are allowed to buy Irn Bru Mucky

SeekEveryEveryKnownHidingPlace, wont be the same though when they start cutting the sugar content.

Hi Jeremy,

Some admission authorities allow children starting school at compulsory school age to start in reception, some make children miss a year and force them straight into year one. It's a total postcode lottery.

Do you feel a summer born child starting school at compulsory school age should be forced to miss a year of education because of that?

Will Labour put an end to this postcode lottery? Where you love should not determine a child's right to a full education.

Thanks

Hi Jeremy,
You have my complete respect and admiration for your constant dignity and calmness in the face of rude hostility. I'd have chucked the table at Paxman last night! Keep up the good work, me and the kids are spending half term delivering leaflets and talking to everyone we can!

Hello Jeremy

Labour party member and proud Corbynista here.

My question:
I respect your and the party's position on Brexit but cannot agree with it. Given how many lies and misrepresentations underpinned referendum campaigning, how can you regard people's votes as having been cast freely, and therefore be sure that the result is indeed 'the will of the people'?

Thanks

Oh muckypup73 pipe down.

In recent years I've voted SNP as it felt like the only way of getting Scottish issues and interests represented in Westminster.

I want to vote for YOU as PM, but locally labour is weak.

How would you galvanise the Labour Party across the UK?

The tide is turning. Last month I was sure I would vote for the Tories but now I'm not so sure and I do like the Labour manifesto. I think the more people who read it the better.

Well, I really don't want this thread to descend into how nice Irn Bru might or might not taste without all the sugar as that would be asinine and a waste of time.... Jeremy, you have my vote: everything crossed for next Thursday.

@Str4ngedaysindeed

Hi Jeremy. We are labour voters in this house 😁 Our 17 year old son and his friends are extremely passionate about politics and they have been canvassing, leafleting and generally doing all they can for the party. He is so disappointed that he can't vote when he, quite frankly, has more knowledge and passion than me what are your views on lowering the voting age??

Thanks, our plan is to reduce the voting age to 16. Young people need a say in their future.

@Want2bSupermum

70% of families are in poverty and 2/3rds of those are working. I don't see how your manifesto addresses the high cost of childcare which pushes a lot of working families into poverty. I actually see the higher wage increasing the barrier to women returning to work after they start a family. How does Labour plan to address this issue?

Another problem I see when back home is the issue of white children from the bottom two socio economic groups not rising out of the group they were born into. How does Labour plan to address that issue?

Thanks - your question is absolutely crucial. We all want our children to achieve the best in life and we also want to have them looked after before they go to school in a caring and supportive environment.

At the moment, the high cost of childcare means that some parents send a huge proportion of their income on childcare and, as a result, are very poor.

I feel very strongly about this and feel very sad at the number of Sure Start centres that have closed in recent years.

Today we've announced a new childcare policy which is designed to give every child the opportunity of 30 hours free childcare per week. This will cost £5.3 billion a year by the end of the next parliament to ensure that all children get the opportunity of an exciting preschool environment.

If we give all our children a decent, fair start they achieve far more later in life. Early years are so crucial to the development of all our children and it should not be based on a postcode lottery or the relative wealth of the parents.

There are appalling levels of poverty in Britain, and I am determined to address this with a living wage of £10 an hour by the end of 2020 and ensuring good quality investment in health and education in every part of the country. We cannot tolerate the waste of underachievement in education often brought about by poverty.

Hello Jeremy,

I live in the North East. What are your plans to rebalance the economy and ensure economic future for the North East as well?