Labour leadership election arrives in Dudley for hustings event

Sir Keir Starmer, Lisa Nandy and Rebecca Long-Bailey all took to Dudley Town Hall's stage today for the event.

The trio, who are vying to succeed Jeremy Corbyn, answered questions from the audience, as well as a selected panel which included young eco campaigners, a junior doctor and a knife crime campaigner.

They were faced with questions about Brexit, the NHS, the party's decline in the last election, schools and young people, crime, climate change – and their most-used emoji.

When asked how the party could win back seats in the Black Country which had been held by Labour and were lost in recent elections – such as Dudley North, Wolverhampton South West and Wolverhampton North East – Lisa Nandy said she wants residents to know she's heard their concerns, while Rebecca Long-Bailey said she thought the decline in support in the party was linked to de-industrialisation.

Keir Starmer said to win those seats back it was about visiting those places and "listening to people".

Ms Nandy said: "I think it is important to recognise this was no ordinary election, we have been losing elections for some time. But in this election we had nurses and ex-miners who turned away from us in seats that have been Labour MPs for hundreds of years. Brexit, leadership, all of that came up on the doorstep, but this has been 40 years in the making because the growth that has been seen in Birmingham, Coventry, just hasn't been seen and felt in many parts of the West Midlands.

"We have seen good jobs taken out of those communities, investment going into cities, as a consequence young people have left, the spending power isn't there, the high streets are in decline and older people are growing old hundreds of miles from children and grandchildren.

"I want the electorate in the West Midlands to know I have heard this and I understood it, and we will put a plan in place to get investment and jobs back. Labour won't be a party that just turns up at election time, it will be routed in people's communities."

Mr Starmer said: "By coming to places like Dudley and listening to people. Which is why I am really proud that this is my fourth trip to Dudley, this time for a hustings, but previously for discussions about immigration, skills, about what the region needs. Listening is a really important part.

"What I have heard so far is that communities in the region want infrastructure and investment in their communities, they want better, secure jobs, and they want more control over decisions.

"If I am elected leader I want to be back in the region having those further discussions."

Ms Long-Bailey added: "We have got to understand why our support has been declining and ties hand in hand with de-industrialisation in many parts of the country. I think the Brexit issue had a huge impact, I was from a leave constituency and many of my voters were really angry and there was a breakdown in trust between the Labour party and those voters because they thought we were trying to overturn the result of the referendum.

"Now what we can't do is spend the next four years waiting to tell people they were wrong, we have got to move on now and set out a clear, hopeful vision for what Britain looks like outside the Europe Union. Creating the industries of the future, investing in our education and public services so that it is of a standard that our communities deserve."

A deputy Labour leadership hustings also took place at Dudley Town Hall on Sunday, with candidates Rosena Allin-Khan, Richard Burgon, Dawn Butler, Ian Murray and Angela Rayner.

The result of the vote for Labour leader and deputy leader will be announced on April 4.