Jeremy Corbyn slams 'poverty denier' Tories - and says Labour can win in 2020
Jeremy Corbyn used his first major speech as new opposition leader to slam Tory welfare cuts as a form of "social cleansing" - and to voice his confidence in a Labour win at the next general election.
He was given a standing ovation at the TUC Congress in Brighton as he walked on stage, with many cheering as he waved to the crowd.
Vowing to work closely with the unions, he said the TUC conference was a "shared celebration of our values as a Labour and trade union movement".
He opened by addressing delegates as "sisters and brothers" - before going on to say: "We are going to win in 2020 so we can see the end of this Tory government."
The outlook was positive, he added, saying that 30,000 more people had signed up as members of the Labour party since his election on Saturday - taking total membership up to more than a third of a million - and said twice as many people had voted for him in the leadership election than belonged to the entire Conservatives party.
He attacked "poverty deniers" David Cameron and George Osborne, accusing the Tories of "socially cleansing" poorer people with the introduction of the benefit cap.
"We will bring the welfare bill down by controlling rents and boosting wages, not by impoverishing families and socially cleansing our communities," he said.
He promised to table amendments including removing the "whole idea" of a cap altogether.
Raising wages and regulating rents would also be part of their plan, he added, saying the Conservative plans focused around "allowing the gross levels of inequality and poverty" in Britain to get worse.
He left immediately after his speech, saying he was determined to make it back to London in time to vote in the Commons on the subject of tax credits.
His speech was welcomed by other unions afterwards, who said it was a "breath of fresh air" and "staggeringly different" to speeches by previous Labour party leaders.
Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said:
GMB leader Sir Paul Kenny added:
And Mick Cash, leader of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union - which is not formally affiliated to Labour - said: