Corbyn supporter's bizarre admission: Winning elections isn't the issue

31 December 2019, 14:36 | Updated: 1 January 2020, 10:25

This Jeremy Corbyn supporter told Shelagh Fogarty he should continue as Labour leader - and it doesn't matter whether he wins the next election.

Mr Corbyn's New Year's message spoke of 2019 being "quite a year" for Labour - but made no reference to the crushing general election defeat. Instead, he spoke of being the "resistance" to Boris Johnson's government.

Jay called in from Acton to say he still fully backs the Labour leader and would like him to stay on until the next election in 2024, when Brexit will not be a key issue.

So Shelagh asked him: "You think Jeremy Corbyn could win in 2024, could he?"

And Jay responded: "I don't know. That's not the issue. It is a resistance."

Shelagh told him: "There is nothing wrong with resisting policies that you don't agree with. There is nothing wrong with resisting language that you think it out of line. There is nothing wrong with resisting the policies of a particular government.

"I just find it curious that a man who failed to win a general election twice, who has brought his party to its knees and is now giving his second Christmas message of the festive season having lost those two general elections.

"Unless he or the party is in power, they cannot help the people they say they want to help. That's why I am speechless as to why he is still in place."

But Jay insisted that he won two million more votes than Gordon Brown did, so he is on the right road and they would rather be outside power resisting than "just another bunch of Tories in power".

Watch the fascinating debate at the top of the page.