I was given the privilege to interview Lord Neil Kinnock at his house in Tufnell Park, where we discussed everything from the challenges he faced as Leader of the Opposition, his views on Brexit, to his opinions on ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair’s efforts to help the USA’s invasion of Iraq. The man who led the Labour Party for almost a decade delved into his role in saving a party that “could have become diminished if not defunct”, as well as his unexpected views on fellow former leader Jeremy Corbyn, not to mention his views on the war in Gaza and his unwavering support for Keir Starmer. 

Lord Kinnock’s time as leader
Throughout his tenure as Labour leader Lord Kinnock dealt with many challenges. None less than facing the fierce Margaret Thatcher, the longest-serving Prime Minister in modern history. As well as dealing with the smaller issues like his “Welshness” which, according to broadcaster John Humphreys, was his “character defect” due to an acute “anti-Welsh mantra among the English”. Lord Kinnock jovially agreed with my comment that one does indeed need thick skin for the job! However, the biggest challenge faced by Lord Kinnock was, surprisingly, his own party and the unions which needed “constant managing”! Challenges included dealing with Tony Benn, a cabinet minister who became “self-indulgent”, to Arthur Scargill “the acme of self-indulgence” a trade unionist who “robbed” Labour of votes. As well as Harold Wilson, a former Prime Minister and Labour leader, whom Lord Kinnock felt “frustrated” with due to his “slowness of change”.

Brexit, water privatisation and response to Lord Howard’s comments 
Serving as Vice-President of the European Commission for half a decade, Lord Kinnock’s perspectives on Brexit come from a position of great experience. He considers Brexit to be an “unmitigated disaster”. Disagreeing with former Conservative leader Lord Howard of Lympne, who I recently interviewed at the House of Lords, who praised the Brexit referendum result stating that “we have freedom”. Lord Kinnock immediately dismissed this, emphasising that the EU and single market are “our biggest source of imports” and “our most valuable source of trade”. He went on to state that “the OBR (Office for Budget Responsibility) says we have lost 4% in growth…. That’s 150 billion in lost output!”, contradicting Lord Howard who claimed that “our economy has grown faster than Germany or Italy”.

Lord Howard was also responsible for privatising water in the Thatcher government as Minister for Water and Planning. Lord Kinnock firmly disagreed with this, “it's a bad idea and a lousy way of running things”.

Tony Blair, Iraq and Jeremy Corbyn
As a former leader Lord Kinnock tries to support his fellow leaders, whether that’s being someone to run their ideas through or, helping with party management as he did with ex-Labour Leader John Smith. Tony Blair was no exception, Lord Kinnock thinks highly of him and said he was as a “brilliant Prime Minister”. However, when asked about what many say was his downfall, the Iraq war, he admits that he thought “it could only end in disaster”, claiming that the then US President George Bush Junior and the West Wing were full of “ideologues” with no “strategy of any kind”.

However, the MP for Lord Kinnock’s London residence, which sits in the Islington North constituency, is former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn who seems to be an exception to the rule. Lord Kinnock does not regard him as a man who was right to lead the Labour Party.

Exclaiming that:

“There is no; Jeremy Corbyn private members bill, private members motion, evidence of membership of a select committee, evidence of membership of a standing committee or even a memorable speech or question”.

 

Showcasing his incompetence, Lord Kinnock went on to emphasise that “Jeremy had spent the previous third of a century talking to groups of people who already agreed with him”. Lord Kinnock believes that this does not even fulfil the role of being a member of Parliament.

The war in Gaza
Lord Kinnock was quick to identify that a two-state solution is a “just settlement” and that there has to be “more than a ceasefire”. He empathizes with those who have sympathy with the Palestinians, condemning Israel and accusing them of “recruiting a new generation of terrorism” via their continual attacks on Gaza. However, he does warn that people (including Jeremy Corbyn) can let “their consciousness of the plight of the Palestinians slip into antagonism to Jews” which is “totally unjustified”.

Sir Keir Starmer
From U turns to a £28 billion green investment plan, to nationalisation, to Universal Credit, Sir Keir Starmer, the current leader of the Labour Party has made 27 U-turns. When asked if Sir Keir is a drifter and if his plans could be perceived as ambiguous, Lord Kinnock firmly dismissed this saying that these are not U-turns they are “merely navigation due to changes of weather”. He praises Sir Keir for diminishing the self-indulgent left wing of the party that Corbyn helped to grow. Sir Keir is in fact a man whom Lord Kinnock has absolute unwavering support and respect for, someone who has done an “extraordinary and remarkable job” in a “very short space of time”. He even went on to explain how Sir Keir was one of the first people to visit when his wife Glenys died last December, a testament to his character.

Moving onto Labour’s stance on the war in Gaza. When directly asked if he would like to see a ceasefire, Lord Kinnock was quick to respond “Good God, yes”, a deeply genuine response. He went on completely denounce Hamas for “knowingly sacrificing scores of thousands of Gazans and subjecting them to abject misery”. When asked why Sir Keir’s public response to the war was delayed, as the SNP called for a ceasefire before Labour. He explains that Sir Keir had to be “conscious” as he could find himself to be Prime Minister very soon, relations with Israel cannot be “filled with anger” or else “he’s not going to get very far in terms of seeking to influence them”.

Glenys Kinnock
As we neared the end of our interview one thing was clear to me. As a young person who has spent the last year interviewing seven politicians including MPs and Lords alike, I will be forever grateful that my last interview was with Lord Kinnock. He came across as an honest, bona fide, and sincere statesman. Someone who believes in a “more modern, effective, and equitable system". 

This marks the first time I have chosen to voice my opinion in an article but I feel it is only right. For despite his social status, he is down to earth, someone happy to sit down for over two hours and discuss politics with a 17-year-old amateur! His integrity, genuineness and sense of humour came across all throughout the interview. From him exclaiming that it was "gratifying" to be studied in politics textbooks, but that it made him feel "so bloody old"! All the way to when we briefly discussed his wife Baroness Glenys Kinnock, a well-respected politician in her own right, who was a member of the European Parliament and the House of Lords, as well as a dedicated teacher and an overall public servant. Fighting his tears, in a heartfelt moment, Lord Kinnock reminisced of her “lovely singing voice “ as we briefly discussed how they met.

I want to thank Lord Neil Kinnock for taking the time to be interviewed and for offering his hospitality at his house in Tufnell Park.