Jeremy Corbyn

Jeremy Corbyn, former leader of the Labour party, has been MP for Islington North since 1983 and represents Labour’s political left. Corbyn joined the Labour Party in his teens, going on to work for various trade unions before becoming a councillor on Haringey Council in 1974. Corbyn has been involved in a number of left-wing causes (he was famously photographed being arrested at an anti-apartheid demonstration) and has long been active in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. After working on Tony Benn’s unsuccessful leaderhip bid in 1981, Corbyn won his seat. A vehement critic of New Labour, Corbyn became the party’s most rebellious MP, voting against the whip over 500 times. Corbyn joined the Labour leadership race in 2015, beginning as a 200-1 outsider but quickly gathering momentum. As leader, he received significant opposition (including resignations and a leadership challenge), but exceeded expectations in Labour’s 2017 general election campaign. Staunchly Eurosceptic, Corbyn backed his party’s position on Brexit but was criticised for his “lukewarm” campaigning; he resigned after the 2019 election. Recently, Corbyn has come under fire for his handling of alleged anti-semitism within the party, leading to a brief suspension in October 2020.