Jeremy Corbyn draws battle lines for a future election in fiery speech

The Leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn listens to a speech on the first day of the Labour Party conference, in Liverpool, Britain September 25, 2016.
The Leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn listens to a speech on the first day of the Labour Party conference, in Liverpool, Britain September 25, 2016. Copyright REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo
By Euronews & Reuters
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The Labour leader pledged to protect workers and tenants against landlords and bosses.

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Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn hit out at the "born-to-rule establishment" and Boris Johnson in a fiery speech to trade unions in Brighton that laid out his election pitch to British voters.

Corbyn outlined a classic left-wing Labour pitch at the Trade Union Congress (TUC), reiterating his plan to nationalise Britain's rail network and utility companies, give workers seats on company boards and protect tenants against exploitative landlords.

Although Corbyn and other opposition leaders denied Johnson's motion to call an early election in a dramatic night in the House of Commons on Monday, the Labour leader's speech was reminiscent of the party's 2017 campaign which saw them win 30 seats and wipe out the Conservative's majority.

Corbyn hit out "tax avoiders, bad employers [and] big polluters" and promised action on what he called a "climate crisis" that disproportionately affected Britain's working poor.

Working poor

He promised to establish a new ministry that would deliver better wages, greater job security and give workers more of a say over how their workplaces are run.

Read More: Jeremy Corbyn: Britain's prime minister in waiting?

Corbyn also stressed Labour's plan to give workers a third of seats on company boards, and pledged to create a Workers Protection Agency to enforce rights, standards and protections at work and introduce sectoral collective bargaining to set industry-wide minimum standards..

"If you are a worker with a boss who makes you work extra hours with no pay, or forces you into a dangerous situation, you deserve a government that fights for you," Corbyn said.

With a deepening crisis over Brexit in Britain, both Labour and Prime Minister Boris Johnson's governing Conservative Party are already drawing the battle lines for an early election.

Speaking in Brighton, Corbyn said: "Congress, the coming general election will be a chance for a real change of direction.

"In the next few weeks the establishment will come after us with all they’ve got, because they know we’re not afraid to take them on."

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