Given his inexorable and seemingly irresistible rise, we thought it would be useful to provide a brief guide to Jeremy Corbyn – the ConservativeHome-backed candidate for the Labour leadership – in his own words:
On his reason for standing for the Labour leadership: “Diane [Abbott] and John [McDonnell] have done it before, so it was my turn.”
On his decision to invite two convicted IRA bombers to the Commons a fortnight after the Brighton bombing: “[The Labour Chief Whip] thinks it unwise to have such a meeting in the House of Commons because it was insensitive. I think otherwise.”
On his own beard: “It’s a form of dissent [against New Labour]”
On Hamas terrorists: “The idea that an organisation that is dedicated to the good of the Palestinian people and bringing about long-term peace, social justice and political justice in the whole region should be labelled as a terrorist organisation by the British government is really a big, big historical mistake…”
On the benefit cap: “This is an attack on the poorest people in the most vulnerable parts of the country.”
On his own constituency (Islington North): “It is perceived by the Daily Mail and Daily Express to be the fountain of all things that are bad in our society. The perceptions are of liberal intelligentsia, cappuccino society and restaurants where new Labour used to meet. I personally have never had anything to do with new Labour whatsoever, so I take no responsibility for that.”
On Miliband not being left wing enough: “The problem was that the fundamental economic strategy was not that different to what the Conservatives were offering.”