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The Labour party is bracing for a heavy loss – and an empty park – with its Labour Live festival on 16 June, according to insiders
By IQ on 29 May 2018
The UK’s Labour party is reportedly facing a significant loss on its debut music festival, with ticket sales for Labour Live failing to live up to expectations.
According to a report in the Sunday Times, soft sales for the festival – dubbed ‘Jezfest’, after party leader Jeremy Corbyn – “are causing consternation among Jeremy Corbyn’s team with less than three weeks to go”. The festival was announced in March, with a line-up topped by big-in-2005 rockers Magic Numbers, Blackpool art-popper Rae Morris and The Voice 2014 winner Jermain Jackman.
According to the paper, as of 19 May just 2,500 tickets had been sold for Labour Live, which will take place on 16 June at the 15,000-capacity White Hart Lane recreation ground in north London. Labour staff are reported to have “bungled approaches” to potential performers, including Labour-voting grime star Stormzy, and booked the venue before finalising a line-up.
Tickets are priced at £35. Corbyn, shadow chancellor John McDonnell and columnist Owen Jones are also booked as speakers.
The Unite union, whose leader, Len McCluskey, is a prominent Corbyn supporter, has since purchased a further 1,000 tickets, bringing the number sold to reported 2,500. In an email to Labour members, the union says it has “1,000 tickets to give away on a first-come first-served basis.”
Labour’s press office did not respond to a request for comment.
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