Owen Smith’s battlebus arrives in Bristol

Jeremy Corbyn may have a train but Owen Smith has a bus – and he brought it to Bristol to start his nationwide leadership contest tour.

Smith is up against Corbyn to lead the Labour Party into the next election.  

First stop of the day: Bristol! ???? #Owen2016 pic.twitter.com/nQYTu1jir6

— Owen Smith 2016 (@owensmith2016) August 30, 2016

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Of course there are other differences – Corbyn packed out College Green with supporters and Smith managed just a handful at this first stop of his tour.

But numbers don’t matter says Smith: “We haven’t come to do a rally… if we wanted to pack the (College) Green we might have done that.”

“Crucially we are not here to talk to the converted,” he adds, “I am here to talk to people right across the country who need a Labour government.”

Owen Smith flanked by Bristol MPs Kerry McCarthy (left) and Karin Smyth (right)

It’s hard to let go of the #Traingate puns when you arrive by bus and Smith drew the laughs when he bounded off the bus to “Jeremy doesn’t have one of these” – but then it was straight to business and an impassioned speech about facing up to Government cuts and taking on Tory seats in the next election.

Unfortunately for Smith, however, a few people have already noticed that the bus appears to have a very unfortunate photo on it.

“We have to get out there… talk to the country once more,” he said. “We need two million people who voted Tory to vote Labour if we have any chance.”

One seat he has firmly in his sights is Kingswood, a marginal seat which was won from Labour by Conservative Chris Skidmore in 2010.

Bristol South MP Karin Smyth says Smith is “passionate” about taking back seats like Kingswood for Labour – and he “gets that if there is a desire for a Labour government” then seats like Kingswood need to be targeted.

Good to welcome @owensmith2016 to Bristol from his new campaign bus, meeting supporters and activists pic.twitter.com/emfwz0yj6W

— Karin Smyth MP (@karinsmyth) August 30, 2016

While he may not inspire the same numbers as Corbyn, he certainly has his own dedicated band of followers. 

20-year-old student Marley Bennet says he was impressed with Smith’s high energy straight-off-the-bus speech and found him “convincing and charming”.

Standing alongside him was Mark Thompson, who has been pounding the streets of Bristol campaigning for Labour since before Marley was even born.

“He understands the Labour Party,” says Thompson, “He knows he needs to reach out to the general population – it’s no good speaking to just ourselves.”

Richard Wyatt even came on his day off to support Smith (and his boss Bristol South MP Karin Smyth) and says he finds Smith’s approach to politics “very refreshing” and believes he can “take the fight to the Tories”. 

Of course before taking on the Tories there are deep divisions in Labour to be healed. But Kerry McCarthy, Bristol East MP, says that while “it’s been very sad” that there have been internal problems within the national and local party it’s now time to unite behind Smith.

“We’ve been phone bashing [for Smith] and it’s been pretty positive. There are a lot of switchers who voted for Corbyn last time and a lot of undecided.

“We’re quite good at pulling together…hopefully we can put it behind us now.

Ballot papers have now been sent out to Labour Party members and the results due on September 24.

Read more: Corbyn releases video of his Bristol speech