Jeremy Corbyn's wife Laura Alvarez condemns those who 'vilified' Labour leader
She uses a newspaper article to defend her husband's record on the day before he is replaced - likely by Sir Keir Starmer.
Friday 3 April 2020 14:35, UK
Jeremy Corbyn's wife has broken her public silence to condemn those who "vilified" her husband and attacked him from inside the Labour Party.
Laura Alvarez, who has rarely spoken in public during Mr Corbyn's four-and-a-half years as opposition leader, has defended her husband's record on the day before he leaves the role.
Mr Corbyn will be replaced as Labour leader on Saturday when the contest to replace him finally ends.
Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer is widely expected to be named Mr Corbyn's successor, following a months-long leadership campaign versus rivals Rebecca Long-Bailey and Lisa Nandy.
In a Daily Mirror article, Ms Alvarez thanked those Labour members who supported Mr Corbyn's leadership, writing: "It has seemed as though we were fighting for our country and our party every single day of the past five years."
"Our members are not a 'rabble', they are the lifeblood of our movement," she added.
"I will never regret our dream of a government which had proud ambitions for a better quality of life for everybody in the UK, as well as our far-flung communities overseas.
"It is now up to our movement to ensure that it does not remain a dream."
Ms Alvarez also revealed, over Mr Corbyn's time as Labour leader, how "incredibly hard" it was to watch her husband "vilified and to hear his words twisted by his political opponents and some in the media".
"It has been even harder to watch him be attacked by his own party," she added.
In 2016, following the EU referendum result, the vast majority of Labour MPs attempted to oust Mr Corbyn as leader.
And Ms Alvarez appeared to blame that moment for Mr Corbyn's failure to win a general election victory.
"The brutal irony is that if we had pulled together, we would have been ready to lead the country rather than suffer more austerity under the Tories," she wrote.
"My greatest wish ahead of the 2017 general election was that the party would stay together so that we could beat them.
"Unfortunately, my wish was not granted and I will forever think of that lost moment when we were so close to winning for the people of the UK."
:: Listen to the All Out Politics podcast on , , ,
As her husband leaves office, Ms Alvarez said she and Mr Corbyn will "continue to be dedicated to our causes; human rights, social justice and peace around the world".
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell, Mr Corbyn's closest political ally, told Sky News it "looks as though" Sir Keir will be elected the new Labour leader on Saturday.
"Keir and I get on well, he's supported the last two manifestos and those policies," he said.
"I think we'll be an incredibly united party.
"I'm hoping he appoints Becky Long-Bailey to a senior position and Lisa Nandy, so all the candidates are in that shadow cabinet team."