Jeremy Corbyn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jeremy Corbyn
|
|
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2024
|
|
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 12 September 2015 – 4 April 2020 |
|
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Harriet Harman |
| Succeeded by | Keir Starmer |
| Leader of the Labour Party | |
| In office 12 September 2015 – 4 April 2020 |
|
| Deputy | Tom Watson |
| Preceded by | Ed Miliband |
| Succeeded by | Keir Starmer |
| Member of Parliament for Islington North |
|
| Assumed office 9 June 1983 |
|
| Preceded by | Michael O'Halloran |
| Majority | 7,247 (14.8%) |
| Chair of the Stop the War Coalition | |
| In office 14 June 2011 – 12 September 2015 |
|
| President | Tony Benn |
| Vice President | Lindsey German |
| Deputy | Chris Nineham |
| Preceded by | Andrew Murray |
| Succeeded by | Andrew Murray |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn
26 May 1949 Chippenham, Wiltshire, England |
| Political party | Independent (part of the Independent Alliance) |
| Other political affiliations |
Labour (1965–2024) |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Piers Corbyn (brother) |
| Education |
|
| Signature |  |
| a.^ Membership suspended: 29 October 2020 – 17 November 2020; whip suspended since 29 October 2020 | |
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (born 26 May 1949) is a British politician. He has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington North since 1983. From 2015 to 2020, he was the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Labour Party.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Jeremy Corbyn was born in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England. He grew up in Kington St Michael. He is the youngest of four sons. His brother is Piers Corbyn.
His mother, Naomi Josling, was a math teacher. His father, David Benjamin Corbyn, was an electrical engineer. Both of his parents were peace activists.
Corbyn went to Castle House School and then Adams' Grammar School. He later attended the University of North London for a year. He left without getting a degree.
Political Journey
Corbyn joined the Labour Party when he was a teenager. In 1974, he became a member of the Haringey Council. He was elected as the MP for Islington North in 1983. He has been reelected nine times since then.
Activism and Peace Awards
Corbyn has been involved in many activist groups. These include Anti-Fascist Action and the Anti-Apartheid Movement. He also supported the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. He has spoken out for a united Ireland and Palestinian statehood.
He strongly opposed the Iraq War. From 2011 to 2015, he led the Stop the War Coalition. During this time, he received the Gandhi International Peace Award. In 2017, he also won the Seán MacBride Peace Prize.
Leading the Labour Party
In 2015, Corbyn was elected as the Leader of the Labour Party. Many new members joined the party after he became leader. He moved the party towards more left-wing ideas.
He suggested bringing back public control of services like railways and energy. He also wanted to reverse government spending cuts. Although he had some concerns about the European Union, he supported staying in it during the 2016 referendum.
Some Labour MPs tried to remove him in 2016. However, he won a second leadership election.
Later Years in Leadership
In 2019, there was a lot of disagreement in Parliament about Brexit. Corbyn supported holding another public vote on the Brexit agreement. He chose to remain neutral on the issue himself.
In the 2019 general election, Labour lost many seats. Corbyn then announced he would step down as leader.
He faced criticism regarding issues within the Labour Party. In October 2020, his membership in the Labour Party was suspended. It was restored a month later. In March 2023, the Labour Party decided not to support him as a candidate in the next general election.
In May 2024, Corbyn announced he would run as an independent candidate for Islington North. He was then expelled from the Labour Party. He won re-election as an independent MP in the 2024 United Kingdom general election.
Key Policies and Ideas
Economy and Taxes
Corbyn has supported higher income tax rates for the wealthiest people. He also proposed a £10 per hour living wage.
He believes in an economic plan that focuses on investing to help the economy grow. This is different from making spending cuts.
Corbyn has always supported bringing public services back under public ownership. This includes services like the railways and energy companies.
National Issues
Corbyn has long supported a united Ireland. He has also said he would prefer Britain to become a republic. However, he noted that the Royal Family is very popular.
As Leader of the Opposition, he supported a bill to write down the UK's constitution. The UK's constitution is currently not in one single document.
Education Plans
During the 2015 Labour leadership contest, Corbyn proposed ending university tuition fees. He also wanted to bring back student grants. He pointed out that many students start work with large debts. He noted that university education is free in many parts of northern Europe.
These education changes would cost about £9.5 billion. He suggested funding this by increasing taxes on the highest earners and on company profits.
Personal Life
Corbyn lives in the Finsbury Park area of London. He has been married three times and has three sons.
His first wife was Jane Chapman. They married in 1974 and divorced in 1979. Later, he had a brief relationship with Labour MP Diane Abbott.
In 1987, he married Claudia Bracchitta. They had three sons together. They divorced in 1999. Their son, Sebastian, worked on Corbyn's leadership campaign.
In 2012, Corbyn married Laura Álvarez in Mexico. She runs a fair trade coffee business. They had a long-distance relationship before she moved to London in 2011. They have a cat named El Gato.
Interests and Beliefs
Corbyn describes himself as careful with money. He said, "I don't spend a lot of money, I lead a very normal life, I ride a bicycle and I don't have a car." He has been a vegetarian for almost 50 years.
He enjoys reading and writing. He also speaks fluent Spanish. He supports Arsenal FC, a football club in his constituency. He has campaigned for the club to pay its staff a living wage. Corbyn also enjoys "drain spotting," which means photographing decorative drain and manhole covers.
In 2023, he co-edited a book of poems called Poetry for the Many.
Awards and Recognition
In 2013, Corbyn received the Gandhi International Peace Award. This was for his work over 30 years to support peace and social justice. In the same year, he was honored by the Grassroot Diplomat Initiative. This was for his support of non-government groups and social causes.
Corbyn has won the Parliamentary "Beard of the Year Award" six times. He once said his beard was "a form of dissent" against the New Labour movement.
In 2016, a musical called Corbyn the Musical: The Motorcycle Diaries was made about him.
In 2017, Foreign Policy magazine named Corbyn one of its Top 100 Global Thinkers. This was for "inspiring a new generation to re-engage in politics." In December 2017, he received the Sean MacBride Peace Prize for his work for disarmament and peace.
A 2023 poll found that Corbyn was the most popular politician in Britain.
Images for kids
-
Corbyn in 2006
-
Corbyn speaking at an anti-drone strike rally in 2013
-
Corbyn addressing the People's Assembly Against Austerity in 2014
-
A rally in Bristol during Corbyn's leadership campaign in 2016
-
Corbyn speaking at the #StopTrident rally in Trafalgar Square in 2016
-
Corbyn and Hilary Benn meet with President Obama in April 2016
-
Corbyn at the 2016 Tolpuddle Martyrs' Festival
-
Corbyn at a leadership election rally in August 2016
-
Corbyn with members of his Shadow Cabinet at the Labour Party 2017 General Election Launch
-
Corbyn in Shropshire in 2017
-
Corbyn launching the Labour Party's 2019 general election campaign
-
Corbyn campaigning in the December 2019 general election
-
Corbyn in 2020
-
Corbyn addresses the March Against Racism in Parliament Square, March 2022
-
Corbyn spoke at an anti-Iraq War demonstration
-
Corbyn meets the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi in 2019
-
Corbyn at a march for Palestine in Oxford in 2021
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
_(cropped_2).jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Jeremy Corbyn para niños
- List of peace activists
