Jeremy Corbyn insists Labour can win power with radical platform

Jeremy Corbyn - Labour

Jeremy Corbyn has unveiled plans to hike taxes on business and let councils borrow billions for housebuilding as part of a "socialism of the 21st century" platform to sweep Labour back to power.

After a tumultuous summer which saw a mutiny among the party's MPs, the Labour leader pleaded for unity and demanded an end to "trench warfare" within the party.

In his keynote speech to Labour's conference in Liverpool, Corbyn set out a "new deal" to govern the relationship between the state and businesses, including a 1.5 per cent increase in corporation tax.

RELATED CONTENT

UK Party conferences 2016 - a comedy of errors

Ian Murray on the battle for Labour's soul

In a far more confident speech after he increased his mandate as leader, Corbyn insisted a radical programme at the next election could lead to electoral success, warning that election could come as soon as next year.

"We know how great this country could be, for all its people, with a new political and economic settlement," Corbyn declared.

"With new forms of democratic public ownership, driven by investment in the technology and industries of the future, with decent jobs, education and housing for all with local services run by and for people not outsourced to faceless corporations.

"That’s not backward-looking, it’s the very opposite. It’s the socialism of the 21st century."

While accepting that Labour had a "mountain to climb" to win the next election, Corbyn said Labour could be successful if it worked together.

He declared: "Let’s be frank, no one will be convinced of a vision, promoted by a divided party. We all agree on that.

"So I ask each and every one of you, accept the decision of the members end the trench warfare and work together to take on the Tories.

"Anything else is a luxury that the millions of people who depend on Labour cannot afford."

The speech also saw Corbyn take on many of the criticisms levelled at his leadership over the summer.

In a message directed at the MPs who overwhelmingly passed a vote of no confidence in his leadership earlier this summer in an attempt to push him out, Corbyn paid tribute to those who "stepped up" and agreed to serve in the Shadow Cabinet.

He described anti-Semitism as an "evil", and said misogynistic abuse was "utterly unacceptable", following demands from many MPs for him to take a harder line on online attacks.

And he also responded to the accusation that he was more interested in building a movement than entering government.

While stressing the impact of campaigning, such securing justice for the victims of the Hillsborough disaster, Corbyn added: "The central task of the Labour party, the whole Labour party, must be to rebuild trust and support to win the next general election."

Building on the plans set out by Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell earlier in the week, Corbyn said businesses would pay more in tax under a Labour government.

"Under Labour we will provide the investment to rebuild Britain’s infrastructure," he said.

"We will fund that investment because it will lead to a more productive economy providing the basis on which our economy and our businesses can thrive, helping to provide over a million good jobs and opportunities for businesses.

"But investment in capital must include investment in human capital, the skilled workers needed to make our economy a success.

"So this is the deal Labour will offer to business: to help pay for a National Education Service, we will ask you pay a little more in tax."

He said Labour would lift the "artificial" cap on councils borrowing against their housing stock in order to build 60,000 more new council houses per year.

Plans to boost research and development funding to 3 per cent of GDP and a review of taxes on the self-employed were also announced.