成人论坛

In 2019, Jeremy Corbyn was leader of the Labour Party. Today, he’s not even a Labour MP after his successor Keir Starmer expelled him from the parliamentary party. But one thing is certain: the passionate socialist won’t be walking away from politics any time soon.

In a personal and probing interview for Political Thinking with the 成人论坛's Nick Robinson, Corbyn discusses his path to socialism, how he talked jam-making with the Queen, and his aims to stand – once again – as a Labour candidate.

Here are nine things we learned about the “leader of the Left”.

Jeremy led a relatively privileged childhood: he lived in a 17th-century country house; attended first a prep and then a grammar school. But his parents taught him a very different set of values. “My mum and dad were both very committed socialists in their ideas and what they wanted,” says the politician. His father (an electrical engineer) and mother (a teacher) met at a meeting in support of the Spanish Republic.

Taking part in a televised election debate with Boris Johnson

I want to be patriotic about a country that doesn鈥檛 tolerate poverty or homelessness and unemployment.

Jeremy was never lectured on politics over the breakfast table but he recalls how his mother gave him books about history and talked about “issues of environment and sustainability and peace”.

2. As a teenager, he taught Geography in Jamaica

Aged 18, Jeremy travelled to Jamaica with VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas). “Looking back on it, none of us that went were really ready for it,” he says. “It was a very fast learning curve. I just moved from a very little village in Shropshire to Kingston, Jamaica, to teach Geography to very large classes of young boys.”

He describes it as “an amazing experience”, and one which furthered his socialist sensibilities. He recounts how the staff room was “generally speaking, of the left” so they had lots of discussions about colonialism.

3. He considers himself a patriot

As an internationalist, Jeremy has been accused of being unpatriotic – which he strongly denies. “I’m a patriot,” he states.

However, he does believe we could all be much prouder of our nation if we achieved greater social equality. “I want to be patriotic about a country that doesn’t tolerate poverty or homelessness and unemployment,” says the socialist. “Patriotism is dressed up by some of our popular media as the size of the flag you’ve got, the ability you’ve got to wave it and shout ‘I am British, I am British, I am British.’ I think patriotism is about being proud of the society in which you live – and how can we be proud of a country with so much poverty?”

Jeremy thinks the decision to sing God Save the King at the start of the Labour conference was “very, very odd.”

“It’s never ever happened at a Labour conference since the conferences were first held at the time of the First World War,” he states. “I find it peculiar and not really necessary. The conference is there for a democratic expression of party members’ views, to discuss policies and so on. I just find it rather odd.”

5. He discussed jam-making with the Queen

As Leader of the Opposition, Jeremy had the opportunity to meet the late Queen Elizabeth II, and says they had a good relationship. “We had some very interesting chats about gardens, gardening, jam making, fruit growing. She asked me how my allotment was getting on, what I was growing on it and that sort of thing, and it was a fine, nice conversation.”

“Likewise,” he says, “I had a couple of quite long conversations with Charles about environment, sustainability and the future of our planet, and he is extremely well informed on all that.”

He believes “we’re moving into a much more democratic society” in which we need to start questioning constitutional norms such as the power pf the royal prerogative and the “undemocratic nature of our parliamentary system.” If tasked with reform, he would first of all “deal with the injustice” of the House of Lords.

Speaking at the Labour Party Conference in 2019

I enjoy being active. I鈥檓 determined to bring about social justice and changes and anything I can do to do that I will carry on doing. That鈥檚 my life.

“I would go for an elected chamber – elected on the basis of English regions, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland – as being a democratically accountable body that would be a counterweight to the House of Commons,” he suggests.

7. He still doesn’t think Labour’s huge 2019 election defeat was a disaster

“In terms of seats, yes it was obviously a very bad result – I know that,” says the former Labour leader, but “the decline in the Labour vote in what is now euphemistically called the red wall seats didn’t start in 2019 or 17,” he argues. “It had been going on for a very long time.”

“The other point is the popular vote was more than Labour got in 2005, and the policies that we put forward, example national education service, particularly green industrial revolution and public ownership of Royal Mail and water and energy were actually all individually popular, and still are.”

8. He’s been a Labour Party member for over 50 years and hopes to be a Labour MP again

Keir Starmer removed the whip from Corbyn over accusations of antisemitism within the Labour Party under his leadership. But the now independent MP harbours hopes to be a Labour candidate again.

“I’ve been a Labour Party member for more than 50 years. I joined the Labour Party even before England won the World Cup,” he says. He’s held many positions – Branch Secretary, Constituency Chair, Agent – as well as being a Labour MP and leader of the party. “My constituents voted for me as a Labour candidate. More than 50% of the electorate voted for me as a Labour candidate, and so they find it more than a bit odd that I’m labelled in the media as an independent.”

“I just suggest that the way to bring the party together and move forward is to reinstate the whip,” he argues.

9. He’s not planning to walk away from parliamentary politics any time soon

Corbyn is now 73 years old but he shows no signs of slowing down. “I’m as busy as I’ve always been, doing lots of campaigns, lots of events and so on,” says the socialist. “I enjoy being active. I’m determined to bring about social justice and changes and anything I can do to do that I will carry on doing. That’s my life.”

Listen to Political Thinking: The Corbyn One