Jeremy Corbyn has represented Islington North in Parliament since 1983. A constant presence on the back row of the House of Commons for decades, the left-winger was elected as the leader of the Labour Party in 2015.
However, after Boris Johnson’s emphatic 80-seat General Election victory in 2019, Mr Corbyn stepped down. He has since been suspended from the party over his reaction to a highly critical report on Labour’s handling of anti-Semitism.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) found the party responsible for ‘unlawful’ harassment and discrimination during Mr Corbyn’s four and a half years as leader. But, he later said the scale of anti-Semitism within Labour had been ‘dramatically overstated’ by opponents.
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Now, Mr Corbyn is standing as an independent candidate in North London. MyLondon walked along Holloway Road, which runs down the middle of the constituency Islington North, and asked residents what they thought of him.
‘He has been demonised’
Some locals said that they think Mr Corbyn may win his seat for another term. One person, a 74-year-old woman who used to work for a human rights organisation, who wished to remain anonymous, described him as a ‘wonderful local MP who’s been on the right side of history’ and has been ‘demonised’.
She added that she is currently a Labour Party member. Although, the voter suggested that she may not remain so for long.
Abdul Farukh, 44, works at Chambio Dry Cleaners and came to the UK from Pakistan when he was 20. He said: “Me personally, I will always support Jeremy Corbyn – he’s my favourite. He’s honest. He’s not two-faced.”
Mr Farukh also said: “I think he will win. He will have the people’s support.” On Labour’s suspension of Corbyn, he said: “It was wrong. He should be Labour. He was always Labour – 40 years, I think. Small issues could be resolved. It was not a big issue, they made it a big issue.”
‘I’m against any killing. It doesn’t matter what religion’
Asked if the situation in Gaza – which Mr Corbyn has long been vocal about – was important to locals, Mr Farukh added: “Of course… I’m against any killing. It doesn’t matter what religion. I’m against any killing.” He added: “I’d love to [meet Mr Corbyn]”
Walking down Holloway Road was Tobn Assadallah, 40, who works at a bank. She described the conflict in Gaza as the ‘biggest issue’ that voters will be thinking about at the ballot box.
Ms Assadallah added that she would vote for him, but she lives in Seven Sisters, which comes under David Lammy’s constituency of Tottenham.
Others, on the other hand, were less enthusiastic. One former Labour member, who said he would rather be kept anonymous, said that he quit the party the day Corbyn became leader.
The 69-year-old, who has lived in Islington since the 1970s, added that he used to vote for Mr Corbyn, as he was ‘quite happy to have the odd loon in Parliament, but not as the leader of a major opposition party’. He added: “I think he represents maybe one percent of country who believe the nonsense he believes.”
Further, the man mentioned anti-Semitism that has ‘subsequently been revealed’. But he said that he may still vote for Corbyn on July 4.
‘He’s a poster boy for the left’
A businessperson, who also asked us to withhold his name, said: “F*** Jeremy Corbyn.” He then expressed concern about his record on anti-Semitism.
The man was also concerned about crime. “It’ll get to the point when people won’t want to go out at night,” he said. “This is not New York in the 80s, 90s. This is London.” He added: “What good has he done? He’s a poster boy for the left, socialist, pro-Palestinian, all those loons. They’re marching for a ceasefire, but there’s no talk about hostages.”
Local barber Samson Samson said: “We need to get some literature – we haven’t had a piece of paper come through. I can’t make a comment. What are his thoughts? What are his plans?” He added: “He used to come in here. He’s too big to come here now.”
Mr Samson also said: “At the moment, a lot of people are talking a lot of garbage. I don’t know what is true and what’s not. I haven’t decided who to support yet.” He added: “My advice is to maybe get a barber in there. They seem to know what people want.
“All these guys talk through their a****. You’re going to find people don’t care anymore. They’re fed up; we’ve heard it all before. We’re all broken.”
Mr Samson was cutting Sofia Venuti’s hair, who is an NHS service manager. Ms Venuti said that she would like to see candidates put forward ‘actual practical proposals’, because there is ‘so much focus on pay rises’.
She added that the UK has the ‘best and biggest national system in the world’ and it’s ‘crumbling’. Ms Venuti is also concerned about the appearance of the area.
She said: “The streets are filthy. There’s not a square meter on the floor without rubbish on it. The bins are overflowing. It’s disgusting, it’s gross.” Both the barber and his customer thought parties should ‘leave gender issues alone’.
The owner of Rindo café, Radiye Rindo, 46, describes herself as a Kurdish refugee who came to the UK nine years ago. She told MyLondon that her son read out to her from a newspaper an article describing the fact that Mr Corbyn was running as an independent. She said that made her ‘happy’.
She added: “He’s helping people. He’s friendly.” Ms Rindo then said that the former Labour leader had visited her cafe, as well as a nearby Kurdish community centre. “He’s a good man,” she said, “a long time I’ve known him.” Ms Rindo also expressed admiration for the British democratic system, suggesting that, in Turkey, the government is always the ‘same’.
Mr Corbyn’s record on Brexit was also raised. Andrew Myer, 70, an energy consultant, is a Green Party activist. He said that Mr Corbyn should have campaigned more for a second referendum, but went for a general election instead – ‘which went well’.
Nevertheless, Mr Myer added that he viewed Mr Corbyn as a ‘very good local MP’ who was a ‘quite exciting leader of Labour Party’ who got people ‘interested in politics’. “I certainly don’t think he’s anti-Semitic,” he added.
‘A lot of people think voting doesn’t matter’
Manzie Anderson, 21, who is a warehouse worker and musician, had a more apathetic perspective. When asked if he knew who he plans to vote for, he replied: “I’m not sure, bro. I don’t really follow it too much. But I am leaning towards Labour anyway if I were to vote. I think definitely minorities, Labour is the only party behind them – they feel like they have a sense of belonging.”
He added that ‘people who don’t know what they’re talking about’, like himself, he suggested, ‘shouldn’t vote for the Conservative Party’. He then confessed: “I do think it’s a bit ignorant of myself. A lot of people think voting doesn’t matter.
“There’s a huge segment of people that don’t cast their vote [because they think] it doesn’t have an effect.” Before walking on, he added: “I’m going to look into it more, get a bit of an insight.”
Corbyn: ‘I hope people who have always supported Labour will understand that I am here to represent the people of Islington North’
Mr Corbyn said: “I’m excited to be out campaigning as the independent candidate for Islington North. It has been an honour to represent my community in Parliament – and if I am re-elected, I will use my independent voice in Parliament to speak up for a better world. Our people-powered campaign will make the case for a redistribution of wealth and power: rent controls, public ownership, a Green New Deal, the abolition of the two-child benefits cap, a fully public NHS, and safe routes for asylum seekers.”
He added: “I hope people who have always supported Labour will understand that I am here to represent the people of Islington North with the same principles I’ve stood by my entire life: equality, democracy and peace. These principles are needed now, more than ever.”
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