Jeremy Corbyn's sons slam 'despicable attacks' on their father as they pay tribute to him hours after Labour election defeat

Bonnie Christian14 December 2019
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Jeremy Corbyn’s three sons have slammed the "despicable attacks" on their father hours after the Labour leader announced he would step down following a bruising election defeat.

Tommy Corbyn tweeted the statement that paid tribute to their “honest, humble and good natured” father, adding that the brothers had “never known a politician to be smeared and vilified so much”.

Mr Corbyn said he did "everything he could" to get Labour into power and will not "walk away" until another leader is elected.

Some people within Labour have blamed Mr Corbyn's leadership for the defeat.

His sons said the election result “hurt” and “today hurts a bit more, tomorrow it will hurt even more”.

The statement said: “Being honest, humble and good natured in the poisonous world of politics has meant that he has endured the most despicable attacks filled with hatred for the duration of his 36 years in public life.”

It added that Mr Corbyn had “supported each campaign for peace and justice wherever it was in the world and however difficult or unpopular at the time”.

General Election Night: December 2019 - In pictures

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His sons said their father had produced “the most wonderful manifesto this country has ever seen” and “took on an entire establishment”.

But, they said, “this meant that the attacks from all sides intensified and became even more poisonous while he was leader. We’ve never known a politician to be smeared an vilified so much.”

They added: “His unbelievable broad shoulders and incredibly thick skin endured all of this so that we could all live in the hope of a world free of racism or hunger.

“The man led with strength difficult to quantify.”

It concluded: “To say we are proud is a vast understatement.

“Thank you to every person who saw his vision and supported it and supported him. From the three proudest sons on the planet, please continue the fight”.

In his victory speech to his constituency, Mr Corbyn thanked his “supportive” family.

“I want to thank my three sons for the huge support they give me and I want to thank my wife, Laura Alvarez, for all she puts up with because of the way the media behave towards, towards her and indeed towards my party during this election campaign,” he said.

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