Owen Jones meets Lisa Nandy | 'We've got to heal these divisions'

Lisa Nandy was first elected to parliament as Labour's MP for Wigan in 2010. After Jeremy Corbyn became the party's leader in 2015, she was brought into the shadow cabinet with the energy and climate change brief. However, following Britain's decision to leave the EU and the turmoil within the Labour party she resigned her position and is now backing Owen Smith to replace Corbyn as leader. She tells me her reasons for leaving the shadow cabinet, her desire to help unite the party's warring factions, why Labour is yet to elect a female leader and why she has not put herself forward for the job.

The Guardian YouTube network:

[ascendancy]

Lisa strikes me as a pretty honest MP but I still think it's naive to think that Jeremy Corbyn's values and policies will be carried forward under Owen Smith's leadership. The only way to guarantee the continuation and protection of the political movement behind Jeremy is for him to remain as leader.

[citizenscriv]

"lisa is a class act" all I heard were fluffy platitudes

[kaansahin]

I love and have a lot of respect for Lisa Nandy she's my local MP and she's great always puts Wigan and us her constituents first, but I'm so disappointed she's chosen to support Owen Smith and not get behind and fight for Corbyn. If Corbyn wins again I hope she'll return to the shadow front bench.

[jackmansfield]

I worry that people like Nandy (I don't think she has shown much class or good judgment in resigning) have become pathologically (I use that word deliberately) opposed to the idea of Corbyn as leader. This can be seen in her criticism of Corbyn over brexit as well as the timing and manner of her resignation.
To blame the brexit on a leader that got 63% of his party to vote remain is *not sane or reasonable judgement*. He convinced me to remain by not being so pro EU that he was obviously bullshitting. The *only* leader of a party that gave a reasoned, adult and balanced perspective on the binary choice we were given. Perhaps Nandy could explain why she could only manage to get 36% of her own constituency to vote remain.

[jonathanknight]

I'm very disappointed with Nandy. Her ambition and lack of integrity shine through in all the different stories she is running around telling to the media. Shame.

[johnny]

I like some of the things she's saying but does she know how patronising "sensible majority in the centre" sounds to those of us on the left (who are actually the majority)? Also a lot of what she's saying is just making me want to vote for Corbyn again

[Sr]

deselect all 172 its time for a truly new labour

[totalwarking]

Some labour MPs think they know better the membership and that is unforgivable.

[gartner]

Lisa appears to miss the big issue. There is a massive backlash across the world against the failures the neo-liberal policies of parties of both right and 'left'. As the media is silent on neo-liberalism this backlash is manifesting as rejection of the establishment. The Corbyn wing is part of this backlash and represents the ONLY hope of Labour succeeding. Resistance to this evolution by the PLP is fighting a massive tide of history.

[CanonPaulHamilton]

She's got real integrity and we're very fortunate to have her. When Jeremy is re elected I hope he heeds her warning about a shadow cabinet that is broad enough to unite our party.

[trotters]

Lisa Nandy is backing the wrong horse.Jeremy Corbyn has drawn into the Labour party hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic young and older people.

He is a great proponent of inclusive democratic socialism. Owen smith will take the party back to the old days when the PLP took no notice of the grass roots ...Corbyn all the way for me.

[simonattwood]

What Owen Jones warned what Owen Smith might do, is exactly what Starmer has done.

[HarriboJones]

i wonder how many of these corbyn supporter catch phrases will be in the comments today: 'red tie tory', 'blairite scum', should just join the tories', etc

[abiwhitlock]

Nope, I'm sorry. But I wouldn't trust Owen Smith as far as I could throw him.

[jacobbentley]

I genuinely don't see the problem with him being a lobbyist for Pfizer? I hope that I'm not held personally responsible for the actions of any company or organisation I work for.

[chrisle]

Didn't Wigan vote leave? Surely Lisa should take some responsibility for Brexit instead of blaming Corbyn who's constituents in Islington voted to Remain.

[michaelburrell]

LIsa Nandy. Shame on you. When will the PLP listen to to the membership. Unite and heal, so right, but this should be done with the consensus of the membership who decide who should lead the Labour. We recently voted in volumes for Jeremy to undertake this role, why can you not accept this
All I am hearing is negative diatribe against Jeremy from what appears to be professional labour politicians who the membership is sick of as this just make you come across as a form of post Blairite undercover Tory.
I am Committed Labour Party member and supporter for many years, please stop the political posturing and unite to forward the aspirations of the membership, NOT THE PLP.

[sandrapatterson]

Anyone who calls Owen Smith a socialist is seriously out of their depth.

[sushisuze]

Forget Owen Smith, Lisa Nandy for PM!
The fact she doesn't want to be PM makes her all the more the right candidate for the job.

[End-Result]

It says a lot to me that Owen thinks it prudent to interview a duplicitous MP like Nandy. When is he going to interview someone from the shadow cabinet, I wonder?