Sheffield City Region Mayor Dan Jarvis has said he is backing Lisa Nandy in the Labour leadership election. The Barnsley MP told Sheffield Live! he believes Nandy understands the challenges facing the North of England and that she is a capable leader. She is one of four candidates who are still in contention. alongside Rebecca Long-Bailey, Emily Thornberry and Sir Keir Starmer. Baillor Jalloh reports.
Sheffield MPs Louis Haigh and Clive Bett have said they are very disappointed with the election results. Both MPs were re-elected on Thursday with a big majority while nationally Labour suffered its worst election defeat for decades. Meanwhile, Boris Johnson has promised to repay the trust put in him by Labour supporters who voted Conservative for the first time. MIckey Conn reports for Sheffield Live!
Labour has promised billions of pounds of investment building new council houses, providing free internet broadband and supporting the NHS. Sheffield Live! reporter Azz Mohammed spoke to Shadow Attorney General Baroness Shami Chakrabatti who was in Sheffield for the special party leaders’ edition of BBC Question Time.
Hundreds of labour activists joined a Sheffield Trades Council organised May Day celebration on Saturday, with a march through Sheffield city centre and a rally at Barkers Pool. The event is the first organised May Day labour movement parade to be held in Sheffield for at least 20 years. Len McCluskey, General Secretary of Unite the union, joined the speakers platform for the rally outside Sheffield City Hall. Later he spoke to Sheffield Live! reporter Baillor Jalloh.
Shadow Policing Minister, Louise Haigh, told Sheffield Live! Labour will not support the government’s Brexit deal following the postponement of a parliamentary vote on the proposals. In an interview with Sheffield Live! the Heeley MP said: “We are not going to support a deal that will hurt our constituents”. Prime Minister Theresa May has told MPs they will now get to vote on the deal in the week commencing 14 January 2019. Baillor Jalloh reports for Sheffield Live!
A Sheffield councillor of Jewish background has spoken out against allegations that the Labour party is anti-semitic. In an interview with Sheffield Live! Adam Hurst, councillor for West Ecclesfield, said: “I have never experienced anti-semitism. My experience and the media hype don’t match at the moment.” Baillor Jalloh reports.
Sheffield branch leader of the Women’s Equality Party, Charlotte Mead, has questioned Labour’s decision to reinstate Jared O’Mara following his suspension last year. O’Mara was suspended from the Labour Party following the discovery of homophobic and misogynistic posts on his social media account. Labour said the Hallam MP should be given a formal warning with a mandatory requirement to attend training. Baillor Jalloh reports for Sheffield Live!
Shadow Brexit Secretary and Sheffield Central MP Paul Blomfield has accused the government of handling the Brexit negotiations “extremely badly”. The criticism comes as the Prime Minister travels to Brussels for a dinner with European Union leaders in a bid to end the stalemate over arrangements for Britain’s exit from the EU. The meeting, with chief negotiator Michel Barnier and Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, comes days after the pair said talks were in “deadlock”. Later this week the Prime Minister and Brexit Secretary David Davis, will be meeting their EU counterparts to continue the Brexit negotiation.
The former Labour Party councillor for Nether Edge and Sharrow, Nasima Akther, who stood down for health reasons, has spoken out in praise of her replacement Jim Steinke. Councillor Akther had had previously been suspended by the Labour Party for not voting along party lines on a motion regarding tree felling. Simon Thake reports for Sheffield Live!
Labour won the Nether Edge and Sharrow by-election by a narrow margin, with Jim Steinke beating Rob Unwin of the Greens by just 132 votes. Steinke told Sheffield Live! that he accepted the tree felling programme had boosted the Green Party vote but he insisted Labour had run a positive campaign and called for a “progressive alliance” within council. Simon Thake reports.