Ignore the critics. Here’s why Jeremy Corbyn was in Morecambe on Saturday.

On 23 March, it’s estimated that around a million people marched in London to call for a second Brexit vote. Jeremy Corbyn didn’t attend. But despite criticism and questions in the media, there’s a very good reason for this. Because Corbyn went to Morecambe. And there, he was highlighting the devastating impact of Conservative-led austerity in one of the most deprived parts of the UK.
Deprivation
As Brexit chaos continues to dominate headlines, there’s still no clear idea about if, when and how the UK will leave the EU. But in the midst of this confusion, the facts of austerity don’t change.
Morecambe Bay, in Lancashire, is among the “worst 10% of areas in the Index of Multiple Deprivation”. One part is in the worst 5%.
In 2017, an ITV investigation found that teachers regularly report children “going to school hungry and in uniforms that haven’t been washed”. Doctors in the area reported evidence of diseases “like rickets and others linked to malnourishment”.
In 2018, the New York Times also focused on Morecambe to highlight the ongoing impact of austerity. It reported that one teacher regularly found a child rooting through rubbish bins to find food. In the same school, “roughly one in three” children had nothing to eat before school. Another parent in the area:
skipped meals to ensure that his son ate three times a day. But he could no longer afford to give the boy a balanced diet or a new school uniform, or take him to see friends.
It also reported that “the rising number of hungry children at Morecambe Bay coincided with sharp reductions in welfare benefits associated with the clumsy introduction of a new welfare program [Universal Credit]”.
Read on...
Relative child poverty in the constituency “rose to 25.9 percent from 2013 to 2017, up from 24.2 percent“. Meanwhile, the number of children the Morecambe Bay Food Bank helped “almost doubled to 1,229 in 2017-8 from 656 in 2013-4”. And at the local Citizens Advice, “the number of food vouchers distributed to children in the same period increased sixfold, to 1,336 from 222”.
This is where Corbyn was on Saturday.
No more
So although members of the Independent Group (TIG) and some marchers questioned Corbyn’s absence from the demo, they missed a vital point. If the Conservatives remain in power, the number of hungry children in areas like Morecambe will only continue to rise. As the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) has noted:
There were 4.1 million children living in poverty in the UK in 2016-17. That’s 30 per cent of children, or 9 in a classroom of 30.
Corbyn’s visit came ahead of local elections in May. Whilst there:
He joined local Labour candidates in launching their manifesto… with pledges to tackle poverty, act on climate change and invest in housing.
In Morecambe listening to people as Labour launches our local elections campaign.
Like Labour councils across the country, despite crippling Tory cuts, Lancaster City Council has stood up for this community and the services people rely on. #LabourDoorstep #RebuildingBritain pic.twitter.com/JObAOmBdSU
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) March 23, 2019
And while Brexit chaos continues, Corbyn still leads a strong manifesto-backed promise that keeps all options on the table. But the biggest goal is to challenge Theresa May’s botched deal and avoid no deal:
To those considering chanting ‘where's Jeremy Corbyn at today's #PeoplesVoteMarch:
Corbyn has opposed May’s deal from the start.
Corbyn is backing a public vote on the deal.
Corbyn hasn’t ruled out revoking Article 50 to stop no deal.
He is giving your cause a lifeline.
— George Aylett (@GeorgeAylett) March 23, 2019
In 2018, Philip Alston – the UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty – made it very clear that Brexit will affect the poorest people the most. He was highly critical of the current Conservative-led government, saying it was clear to him that “the impact of Brexit on people in poverty is an afterthought”.
Corbyn was in Morecambe because, if the Conservatives remain in power, austerity will destroy more lives and more children will go hungry. It really is that simple.
Featured images via Wikimedia – Rwendland / Christian Erfurt on Unsplash
We need your help to keep speaking the truth
Every story that you have come to us with; each injustice you have asked us to investigate; every campaign we have fought; each of your unheard voices we amplified; we do this for you. We are making a difference on your behalf.
Our fight is your fight. You’ve supported our collective struggle every time you gave us a like; and every time you shared our work across social media. Now we need you to support us with a monthly donation.
We have published nearly 2,000 articles and over 50 films in 2021. And we want to do this and more in 2022 but we don’t have enough money to go on at this pace. So, if you value our work and want us to continue then please join us and be part of The Canary family.
In return, you get:
* Advert free reading experience
* Quarterly group video call with the Editor-in-Chief
* Behind the scenes monthly e-newsletter
* 20% discount in our shop
Almost all of our spending goes to the people who make The Canary’s content. So your contribution directly supports our writers and enables us to continue to do what we do: speaking truth, powered by you. We have weathered many attempts to shut us down and silence our vital opposition to an increasingly fascist government and right-wing mainstream media.
With your help we can continue:
* Holding political and state power to account
* Advocating for the people the system marginalises
* Being a media outlet that upholds the highest standards
* Campaigning on the issues others won’t
* Putting your lives central to everything we do
We are a drop of truth in an ocean of deceit. But we can’t do this without your support. So please, can you help us continue the fight?
-
Show Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to leave a comment.Join the conversationPlease read our comment moderation policy here.
He could have gone to Morecombe on that agenda any time. Saturday was one of the biggest marches ever and it would have been good if he had supported a People’s Vote and supported his membership on that day. He wasn’t there because he doesn’t support it. I’m a fan but I find that really disappointing.
In the eye of the storm of the biggest national crisis in a long long time, Corbyn is helping launch a manifesto for local elections 300 miles away. You’re supposed to be the leader of the opposition. It’s beyond a joke.