" WOMAN:" " I'd like to introduce the next Prime Minister, Jeremy Corbyn!" "CHEERING AND APPLAUSE" "Jeremy Corbyn has taken the Labour Party by storm." " CHANTING:" " Jez, we can!" "I think Jeremy Corbyn is like Gandalf the Grey, returning over the horizon line to save the Labour Party in its hour of need." "This Saturday, Labour's most famous rebel is tipped to become its leader." "CHEERING DROWNS OUT SPEECH" "That voice cannot be silenced." "That voice cannot be stopped." "That power cannot be denied." "His opponents are terrified he might be right." "If Jeremy Corbyn won the leadership election, we would be condemned to electoral oblivion." "Tonight, the story of his remarkable rise and the influence of his key supporters." "That's OUR inheritance, so I say get your grubby hands off it, you thieving Tory bastard!" "What does it say about the party?" "That it's lost its way." "One way of appreciating the sheer scale of Labour's election defeat last May is to take to the skies." "ENGINE REVS" "I'm at 6,000 feet off the south coast of England and from the cockpit" "I can see Hampshire down on my left," "Sussex, Surrey in the distance and even Kent and the east coast." "Behind me is Dorset, Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall." "A swathe of Tory blue spanning 350 miles, all the way from Land's End in the west to Canterbury in the east, with scarcely a speck of Labour red anywhere to be seen." "Labour didn't just lose the last election, it was absolutely crushed." "'In the early hours of the morning after the election, a helicopter, 'which was on standby for the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, was cancelled." "'With him on a miserable drive south to the party's London headquarters 'were his wife Justine and his closest aides.'" "CHEERING" "That was very emotional." "That was a room of tears." "I mean, it was..." "There were..." "Most people in there were wiping the tears away." "Were you wiping the tears away?" "I didn't have a dry eye and I don't think many people did." "I think that the psychological blow of losing so BADLY was profound." "It released a valve that had been under enormous pressure for some time, really from 2007 onwards, when the global meltdown took place." "The frustration, the anger, the bewilderment, almost, of party members." "In the wake of Labour's defeat came a leadership contest." "To be a candidate, an MP needed the nomination of 35 colleagues." "Shortly before nominations closed, there were three contenders," "Andy Burnham, Liz Kendall and Yvette Cooper." "But then came the rank outsider." "As the clock ticked towards the noon deadline," "Jeremy Corbyn was still five nominations short." "Then, with less than two minutes to go, he inched across the line." "Some of the MPs who got him there said they were simply trying to widen the leadership debate." "Little did they realise they were about to trigger a political earthquake." "BIG BEN CHIMES" "Durham, this July, and the day of the annual Miners' Gala." "It's picture-postcard stuff - brass bands and real ale." "Old Labour is out in force and there is a new electricity in the air." "The Labour Party has its roots in the trade union movement and the Durham Miners' Gala is a stirring celebration of that heritage." "It's a great day out." "But for many here today, the Gala isn't just a trip down memory lane." "It's a vision of Labour's future." "On the balcony of the County Hotel, Britain's most powerful trade union leader, Len McCluskey, is taking the salute." " BRASS BAND PLAYS "CELEBRATION"" " His union, Unite, has just endorsed Jeremy Corbyn." "Beneath McCluskey, the bands are marching to the racecourse, to hear the man who's been given the keynote slot and who's out to win votes." "It is wrong, it is immoral, it is unnecessary that anyone should be sleeping on the streets of Britain, that any child should be homeless, that anyone should be hungry." "We are a rich enough country to conquer those inequalities and those miseries." "CHEERING AND APPLAUSE" "Corbyn's rivals are also here, pressing the flesh." "I bumped into Yvette Cooper, drumming up support at a union stall." "Most Labour leaders, certainly Tony Blair, never used to come here." "What's the reason today?" "I think this is a really important part of our history and tradition." "I think it is also about celebrating communities and families and the values that are at the heart of the Labour Party." "'Only Corbyn was given a platform to speak." "'The organisers said, "There'll be no right-wingers here."" "'Today was a day for unleashing visceral left-wing passions.'" "Well, what about OUR inheritance?" "OUR hospitals?" "OUR council houses?" "OUR welfare state?" "Everything our parents and grandparents built with their hands and paid for with their taxes?" "APPLAUSE" "Chancellor, that's OUR inheritance." "So, I say, get your grubby hands off it, you thieving Tory bastard!" "CHEERING AND APPLAUSE" "Corbyn, initially seen as a token candidate of the left, seems to be striking a chord." " Would you support Jeremy Corbyn?" " Yes, I would do, yes." " Why?" "Hopefully, he'll get a decent vote, to worry some of the, erm, the north London elite, if you like." "I support his principles but I don't support the Labour Party any more" " because I've lost faith in them." " Why, what have they done?" "I think the grass roots..." "I don't think it's what they've DONE." "It's the attitude, since Blair was elected, has lost the grass roots of support that Labour had." "What about people who say you are a serial rebel, that's not what prime ministers are made of?" "I'm somebody that believes in what I do and stands up when I do it." "Thank you." "'The Corbyn bandwagon was beginning to roll." "'Late July in Warrington and a showdown is looming." "'Today, the Labour leadership show is rolling into town.'" " Nice to see you!" " Nice to see you, how you doing?" " Nice to see you." "Well, look at this!" " Shall we give a good photo?" " 'Andy Burnham is on home turf.'" "You're all going to be famous, that's for sure!" "'But Jeremy Corbyn has just stolen a march on his rivals 'by rebelling against the Tories' tough new welfare bill." "'That's left Burnham, Cooper and Kendall, who all abstained, 'on the back foot.'" "Something has happened this week and I owe you an explanation." "There are people asking why I voted to support the party line on the welfare bill." "And I'll tell you why." "Someone said, "Yeah."" "I'll tell you WHY." "I'll tell you WHY." "Because I was not prepared to plunge this party into civil war." "It is in danger at the moment of splitting." "'Instead, it's Jeremy Corbyn's rebellious talk 'that gets the crowd behind him.'" "I opposed this bill because it has within it a benefit cap." "That benefit cap is terrible for people living in expensive private rented accommodation." "Let's be proud of the principle of a welfare state that protects everybody." "APPLAUSE" "'When the campaign started, the hot favourite was Andy Burnham." "'But here, you could sense that it's Corbyn who was gaining the momentum." "'So, what do we know about the frontrunner for the leadership?" "'" "Comrade Chairman, we are a Socialist party and there are social solutions to the problems and the solution is Socialism at the end of the day." "'Corbyn has been a backbench rebel for 32 years, 'a lover of unfashionable causes.'" " REPORTER:" " Is...that the jumper that your mum made?" " Yes, it is." " She didn't make the shirt as well, I suppose?" " No, no, she didn't make the shirt." "That came from the Co-op." "Jeremy is a saintly figure of enormous personal integrity and a man who lives his life in accordance with his beliefs." "So, for example, if you run into him on a train, as I have done on one occasion, he'll immediately get out his box of sandwiches, which are vegetarian, of course, and cut them in half and give half to you." "He's a good man!" "The serious point is this, do you think if he does become leader of the opposition, do you see him as electable as a prime minister?" "It's unlikely, frankly." "For many others," "Corbyn is a throwback to Labour's darkest days of the 1980s, when it was gripped by civil wars, in which Jeremy Corbyn played a leading role and which kept Labour out of power for almost a generation." "I represent the true Labour Party in Smethwick." "NOT the Workers Revolutionary Party, nor the militant Trots... who have infiltrated so many constituency parties, as you know!" "CROWD CHEERS AND SHOUTS" "'Charles Clarke was at the heart of Labour during its wilderness years.'" "But above all, I think we should also be considering the actions and attitudes of a number of left Labour MPs in Parliament." "APPLAUSE" "Jeremy would always be seen at the core of every element of rebellion of the party on whatever issue it was you were talking about, economics, civil liberties, international, and so on." "What do you think his politics are?" "His politics are the politics of opposition." "If he had had his way, we never would have reformed the Labour Party in the 1980s." "We never would have had a Labour government in 1997." "And that's been his whole style." "You said recently that anyone who thinks Jeremy Corbyn could get Labour back in government was, quote " ""completely barking mad."" "Strong words." "It is what I think." "I don't think the main argument against Jeremy should be about his failure to win, though I think he has absolutely no chance of winning." "The fundamental test is to what extent is Labour in tune with the feelings of the people of the country today?" "If we're not in tune, then they won't vote for us." "But this doesn't seem to bother the growing army of believers who have flocked to hear Jeremy Corbyn speak." "Camden in early August - there's no shortage of volunteers to help him get his show on the road." "He's just the candidate of hope really." "He's generated such an energised campaign." " Hope rather than reality?" " Erm, I think it's a bit of both." " Do you think he's electable?" " Definitely." "Corbyn's "politics of protest" is a big draw." "CHEERING" "I'm sure everybody will join me in giving a massive, massive welcome to Jeremy Corbyn." "APPLAUSE" "North London is Corbyn's home turf and tonight has all the fervour of a revivalist rally." "Was it nurses that caused the banking crisis?" "Was it street cleaners that caused the banking crisis?" "Was it the unemployed?" "Or was it the inability or refusal of governments to face up to a financial system that allowed that crisis to be brought about?" "CHEERING" "That voice cannot be silenced." "That voice cannot be stopped." "That power cannot be denied." "Thank you very much for coming tonight." "Thank you for your support." "CHEERING AND APPLAUSE" " CHANTING:" " "Jez, we can!" "Jez, we can!"" "I thought it was an electric atmosphere in there." "Just the feeling of actually having something to get behind and people who believe in power to the people and not..." " So it's a feeling?" " Yeah." " Not policy?" " Policy is a massive part." "Policy is a massive part." "Policy to believe in." "I've never seen this momentum ever." "Do you go to rock concerts?" "Yeah, I'm a..." "I'm a Bon Jovi fan." "Does it feel a bit like that?" "It feels more than that." "Because I've never queued this much for a rock concert." "There's been queues around the block." "If I asked you all to raise your hands if you supported health care as a human right free at the point of use, every hand would go up." "Corbyn-mania has been turbo-powered by Labour's new leadership election rules." "Just about anyone could vote, provided you paid just £3 and ticked a box to say you support Labour values." "Since the election, those allowed to vote in this contest have almost tripled to over half-a-million." "The new rules were supposed to weaken the power of the trade unions." "In fact, they may have left them with more influence." "At a public meeting this summer," "Len McCluskey was scathing about the Labour establishment." "We are the official opposition." "It should be, of course, in the political arena the Labour Party." "I was thinking of sending to Harriet the dictionary definition of opposition." "LAUGHTER" "The Government plans to make it much harder for unions to go on strike, with a tough new trade union bill." "McCluskey is threatening all-out resistance." "We have to stand and we have to fight." "Just as you always do when dealing with a school bully." "You have to stand up and say enough is enough." "Apparently, I'm being told that we can't use the word scab now when workers try to take our jobs." "Although I've understood we can still call them and their bosses" " BLEEP - bastards." "LAUGHTER" "The Unite boss is about to pose a major dilemma for whoever becomes the next Labour leader." "Sisters and brothers, our moment is here." "We need to believe in our values." "We need to be prepared to stand shoulder to shoulder and, if necessary, we need to defy the law in order to protect our human rights." "APPLAUSE" "Defying the law would have had past Labour leaders running a mile." "But Unite has thrown its financial muscle behind Corbyn's campaign, and protest is in Corbyn's DNA." "When Len McCluskey says, as he has said," ""Labour needs to stand shoulder to shoulder with us,"" "you will." " Of course." " You will." "I'll support the unions in their right to do what's necessary to protect their members." "Even if it means breaking the law?" "Even if - however much you oppose the law - it means breaking the law?" "You don't know what the law is going to be." "You asked me some blanket question about whether people should defy the law or not." "There are circumstances where people legitimately defy the law." "I fully understand that, and I would support them in doing that." "All right." "Unite gave Labour over £20 million in the last Parliament." "Len McCluskey has often hinted he might reduce this if Labour didn't turn left." "But now he glimpses a future beyond his wildest dreams." "Were Jeremy Corbyn ever to become Prime Minister, he says he will order the Bank of England to print billions for a raft of new projects - roads, railways, houses." "He'll also nationalise the big energy companies, increase welfare benefits, scrap tuition fees, provide free universal childcare and so on." "And how will he pay for all this?" "Well, he says, partly, by ordering the taxman to collect an extra £120 billion, which he says exists in unpaid taxes." "That is wish list fairyland politics." "They've got to ask themselves one question." "Why would we not, those of us who've been in Government, have got some of that money in?" "But you can't dream up an objective and then simply believe by saying it that it will happen." "Fundamentally what we are saying is that austerity is a political agenda." "It's a political agenda which has led to greater levels of inequality in our society, and is designed to do so." "What we're saying is we have to expand our way out of the problems." "And then there's Jeremy Corbyn's world-view." "He has some unusual friends." "Tomorrow evening it will be my pleasure and my honour to host an event in Parliament where our friends from Hezbollah will be speaking." "I've also invited friends from Hamas to come and speak, as well." "Both Hezbollah and Hamas have been designated by the Government as terrorist groups." "Hezbollah supporters were present at an annual rally promoted by an organisation that Jeremy Corbyn chairs." "Thank you, friends." "Thank you for inviting me here today, and thank you all for being here today, Al Quds Day, in solidarity with the people in Jerusalem and the people all over Palestine." "Hezbollah banners with automatic weapons are clearly visible, yet Jeremy Corbyn says the only reason he calls" "Hezbollah and Hamas friends is to promote peace in the Middle East." "That wasn't a peace conference, that was a rally." "There were people there carrying banners saying" ""We're all Hezbollah."" "That isn't about promoting peace." "You're appearing at that rally as a supporter, surely?" "What I spoke about at that rally - if you bothered to watch the video of my speech " " I did." " ..was about the rights of Palestinian people, it was about the need for recognition, was about the need for that recognition to bring about a long-term peace." "Yes, but do you think it was wise to appear at such an event?" "There were banners with guns on them..." "I don't want those sort of banners and I wish they weren't there." " You wish they weren't there?" " Yeah." " It is a question of judgment." "Do you think in hindsight it was a wise thing to do, to identify yourself so closely with organisations whose methods and whose values I assume you don't share?" " Attending a rally...." " You don't share them?" "Attending a rally and making a speech..." "I make my own speech, my own words are there, quite clearly there, what my views are on Palestine, what my views are on bringing about a peace process in the Middle East." "Since our interview I've learned of another incident that raises questions about Jeremy Corbyn's judgment." "In 2003, he was a Stop the War Coalition delegate to a conference in Cairo." "The conference declaration advocated military struggle against coalition forces in Iraq, in other words, support for attacks on British and American troops." "The Cairo Declaration was posted on the website of the Stop the War Coalition, which Jeremy Corbyn now chairs." "Straight talking, honest politics - that's been Jeremy Corbyn's campaign slogan." "So I asked him a straight question." "Did he support the right of Iraqis to attack British soldiers?" "And if he didn't, why did he associate himself with organisations that did?" "Jeremy Corbyn didn't answer the questions directly." "What he did say was that publication of the Cairo Declaration doesn't mean Stop the War Coalition endorsement of it." "His opposition to the Iraq war was, he said, precisely because he didn't wish to put British troops in harm's way." "Jeremy Corbyn's unorthodox relationships show no sign of slowing his momentum - in fact, the more he comes under fire, the stronger his appeal seems to be." "Grainne Maguire is a comedian who's performed at Corbyn rallies." "Please welcome to the stage the wonderful Grainne Maguire." "APPLAUSE" "Tonight she's rolling out a new routine at a London pub." "I'm really angry with Jeremy Corbyn." "All the sneaky little tricks that he played to trick people into joining the Labour Party... like clear policies, clear ideas, principles, character, decades of public service..." "Like, he's such a chancer." "It's a disgrace." "No wonder Labour HQ is so furious with him." "That's not how this game's played." "LAUGHTER" "'Corbyn-mania is..." "'I think young people are very cynical.'" "They're very jaded about politicians." "They see them as all very the same - very corporate, very careerist." "And then Jeremy comes along." "He seems like he's got integrity, and he's not talking down to people and he's got actual opinions." "And I think people really connect with that." "Jeremy Corbyn is like Gandalf the Grey arriving on the horizon line to save the Labour Party." "That may make you feel better, but it may not get you into power." "That's the point." "But what is the alternative?" "Do you think anybody's going to go," ""You know who got me interested in politics," ""and I went leafleting and canvassing?" ""It was that speech Liz Kendall gave"?" "That is never, ever going to happen." "At Westminster, Labour MPs for whom a Corbyn leadership was once unthinkable now seem resigned to a new political reality." "It's really important that we harness the energy that the new joiners to the scene can bring, to help reconnect Labour to the local communities." "And, yes, look, there are people who've joined with malign intent and don't really care about Labour's values." "But in the end many, many people have joined because they want to make Labour's values real, and we should embrace them." "But some of the party's elder statesmen warn of a return to the divisive days of the 1980s." "And I make an appeal that whatever the result on Saturday, we do not allow ourselves to go back to a very unpleasant atmosphere of thuggery and intimidation." "He's never advocated thuggery, he was not involved in that kind of intimidation." "But as we've seen on other occasions it's not just the individual, but it is those around them... it is those who discover that they've now got a champion, that they've got coat-tails to hang on." "I'dliketo introducethe nextleaderofthe Labour Party,  and the next Prime Minister, Jeremy Corbyn!" "APPLAUSE AND CHEERING" "Just a few weeks ago no-one would have given Jeremy Corbyn a prayer of becoming Labour's next leader." "This Saturday, he could be." "I want a greater democracy, not a lesser one." "That makes..." "It does make political life probably more complicated and more difficult, but that might be a good thing." "But you'll have to be careful not to become part of the political establishment that you've excoriated for more than three decades." "And I look forward to all those challenges." "CROWD CLAPS ALONG WITH SONG" "Win or lose, the Corbyn campaign has transformed the Labour Party." "It has moved decisively to the left." "New Labour has passed into history." "I am worried about the future of the party." "If we turn in on ourselves and pat ourselves on the back and just sing the tunes that we enjoy and don't go out to the electorate and sell a Labour message, then our function as a party is negated." "What we're about is representing Britain." "If we just talk to ourselves, that's going to be lost." "Prepare for a political earthquake this Saturday." "If Jeremy Corbyn wins, it will be off the Richter scale." "Her Majesty's official opposition will be singing to a radically different tune."