General election: Ex-Labour minister urges voters to back Tories to 'stop' Jeremy Corbyn
Ivan Lewis wants voters to support his rival Conservative candidate "in the best interests of the constituency and the country".
Wednesday 4 December 2019 17:01, UK
Another former Labour minister has urged voters to back the Conservatives at next Thursday's general election in order to "stop" Jeremy Corbyn.
Ivan Lewis, who served in government under ex-prime ministers Gordon Brown and Tony Blair, resigned his Labour membership in December last year with an attack on Mr Corbyn's handling of antisemitism allegations.
He is standing as an independent candidate for re-election in Bury South, the constituency he has represented as an MP since 1997.
But Mr Lewis, who is Jewish and supports the UK leaving the EU, is now urging local voters to instead support Christian Wakeford, the Conservative candidate in Bury South.
In a statement on his Facebook page, Mr Lewis said: "Voting Conservative in Bury South is the only way to make sure Brexit is delivered, protect our national security and make sure the economy doesn't crash with devastating consequences for working and vulnerable people.
"It's the only way for decent people of all faiths and none to say no to antisemitism and show solidarity with their Jewish neighbours, workmates and friends."
He added: "At this election, the future of our country is on the line like never before.
"The only way to stop Corbyn in Bury South is to vote Conservative.
"This is not a decision I have taken lightly but I believe it to be in the best interests of the constituency and the country."
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A recent YouGov poll suggested Mr Lewis was not on course to be re-elected in Bury South.
By re-standing in his seat, he is eligible for a "loss of office" payment.
Mr Lewis is yet another former Labour MP to urge voters to back the Conservatives at the 12 December election.
Ex-Labour minister Ian Austin and Tom Harris, as well as former Barrow and Furness MP John Woodcock have already called for the UK public to support Boris Johnson as prime minister rather than Jeremy Corbyn.
Prior to leaving the party, Mr Lewis had been suspended by Labour since November 2017 amid an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment.
He has denied ever making non-consensual sexual comments or sexual advances towards women.
Among the allegations, it was reported Mr Lewis touched a woman's leg and invited her to his house at a Labour Party event in 2010, when she was 19.
In his resignation letter to Mr Corbyn, the former Labour minister hit out at a "politically motivated delay" in dealing with his case.
A Labour source said: "Ivan Lewis was suspended from Labour while we investigated serious sexual harassment complaints about him.
"He left the party shortly before his hearing, denying the complainants their opportunity for their case to be heard. He is not a credible voice on tackling discrimination."
Labour-friendly magazine brands Corbyn 'unfit to be PM'
Mr Lewis's remarks came shortly after the New Statesman magazine - which has long been a key player in Labour politics - claimed Mr Corbyn was "unfit to be prime minister" and decided not to endorse any party at the general election.
However, they urged readers to vote tactically to deprive Mr Johnson of a Conservative majority government.
Labour continue to warn about US trade deal impact on NHS
Meanwhile, shadow chancellor John McDonnell continued Labour's claim that the NHS could be at risk in potential trade negotiations with the US.
This is despite US President Donald Trump stressing on Tuesday that America wants "nothing to do with" the NHS, even if it was "handed to us on a silver platter", as he arrived in London for a NATO summit.
Asked if he was accusing Mr Trump of lying, Mr McDonnell told Sky News: "It's very difficult to interpret Donald Trump at different times because, literally, he will say contradictory statements even in the same sentence.
"That's part of the problem."
Mr Corbyn vowed to confront Mr Trump on the issue during his visit to London this week, but the Labour leader did not manage to speak to the US president at a Buckingham Palace reception on Tuesday night.
Asked if that was embarrassing, Mr Corbyn said on Wednesday: "Not in the slightest. Absolutely not in the slightest.
"I've made my view absolutely clear and I will continue to make that clear.
"A Labour government will not be allowing our NHS to be undermined by international trade agreements."
Corbyn criticised over use of crime statistics
Sir David Norgrove, the chair of the UK Statistics Authority, wrote to Mr Corbyn on Wednesday about his use of crime statistics during the election campaign.
He wrote: "In your speech at the Labour Party manifesto launch you said that 'violent crime has doubled under the Conservatives' austerity programme'.
"I understand that you were referring to increases in the number of violent offences recorded by police forces.
"This is a complicated area, with two main sources of data.
"As the crime bulletins from the Office for National Statistics make clear, the best measure of trends in overall violent crime is the Crime Survey for England and Wales, which is not affected by changes in recording practices and police activity.
"The Crime Survey shows little change in overall violent crime in recent years.
"However, while police-recorded crime has significant limitations, it is better suited than the Crime Survey to measuring trends in some of the more harmful crimes that occur in relatively low volumes."
A Labour Party spokesperson said: "The Tories seem more concerned with writing letters than fighting crime.
"Even Boris Johnson now admits his party's cuts to the police have contributed to a 'rising tide of violence'.
"You cannot trust the Tories to fix the crisis they have caused."
Full list of general election candidates in Bury South:
Michael Antony Boyle - independent
Lucy Burke - Labour Party
Gemma Evans - Women's Equality Party
Glyn Harvey Heath - Green Party
Richard Kilpatrick - Liberal Democrats
Ivan Lewis - independent
Andrea Mary Livesey - Brexit Party
Christian Wakeford - Conservative Party