Leading politicians come to town
In less than 3 weeks, the Labour Party will have a new leader. The debate surrounding who that should be came to Norwich today, with all 5 contenders taking to the stage at Open.
The debate, aired live on Sky, came from the former Barclays bank building on Bank Plain. It gave south Norwich voters a chance to hear firsthand where the candidates stand on key issues, such as how Labour comes back as a credible alternative to the coalition.
Unlike the general election, in this debate there were no strict rules. The audience could applaud, or groan, if they wanted to. The questions, taken from the audience as well as Sky viewers in advance, ranged from the thorny election issue of immigration to graduate tax, raised by Catriona Milne, a governor at Recreation Road Infants School. Afterwards she said: “I came away with plenty of food for thought. I think Labour is in quite a good state – with 5 good candidates. They were all eloquent, spoke well and were convincing.”
Norwich was chosen before the local elections were called, after the Labour party suggested a hustings in the East to the Sky producers. It was a co-incidence, according to host Adam Boulton, that one of the hopefuls, Ed Balls, comes from here. They picked Open, partly because of the unusual building but also because it could cope with requirements for hosting a live debate. Simon Bucks, associate editor at Sky News said: “It was the right mix of an interesting place. An old building but with a modern interior.”
It’s the first time the venue has been used to host a live TV debate but Christine Beveridge, Head of Operations at Open said: ” We have been approached by other TV companies and the venus is available for commercial hire.”
The 5 Labour leadership contenders, Ed Miliband, his brother David, Ed Balls, Andy Burnham and Diane Abbott join a string of big names to arrive in Norwich this week. Simon Hughes, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Harriet Harman, Labour’s Deputy Leader, and Caroline Lucas, the country’s first Green MP all made appearances ahead of Thursday’s election.
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