Leeds MP Benn tells Labour moderates they are the guardians of the party's values

LEEDS CENTRAL MP Hilary Benn has told Labour moderates they are the guardians of the party's values and urged them to focus on talking to the British people.
Hilary Benn gave a passionate speech at a meeting of Labour moderatesHilary Benn gave a passionate speech at a meeting of Labour moderates
Hilary Benn gave a passionate speech at a meeting of Labour moderates

The former shadow foreign secretary said it was time for Labour to swap internal arguments and “face outwards”.

Jeremy Corbyn’s re-election as Labour leader has triggered talk of moderate members leaving the party but Mr Benn urged them to remain, insisting the

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Barnsley East MP Michael Dugher and former Shadow Business Secretary Angela Eagle were among the other senior figures to ddress the packed Labour First meeting held away from the main conference venue.

Moderate voices in the party have become a target for some supporters of Mr Corbyn.

Mr Benn said: “Just because someone else is in the gutter trying to pull you down that’s no reason to go and join them there.

“We are better than that and we should take heart because the Labour Party belongs to every single one of us.

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“I joined when I was 17 years of age, I’ve been a member of the Labour Party for 45 years. I’ve given my life, as all of us in this room have done to the Labour Party and the labour movement.

“The values that have made Labour such a powerful force in our country in bringing about change for the better and the values that have enabled us to win Labour representation in Parliament from Keir Hardie onwards are alive and well and we are their guardians.

“The real task is to give the British people a sense of hope about the future. That is what we must turn our minds to now.

“We cannot talk amongst ourselves, we certainly cannot carry on arguing amongst ourselves. We have to face outward.”

Mr Benn said the party should be focused on addresssing concerns from “profound change” in the world.