1ST LEAD British Labour leader Corbyn launches re-election campaign By Bill Smith, dpa

London (dpa) - Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn launched his re-election campaign on Thursday with a call for members to unite against the ruling Conservatives, insisting the party is capable of winning a general election under his leadership."This party is going places, this party is strong, this party is capable of winning a general election," Corbyn told supporters and journalists in central London."It‘s the job, it‘s the duty and responsibility for MPs [members of parliament] to get behind the party to oppose the Tories [Conservatives]," he said.Left-winger Corbyn, 67, has been forced to join a contest to remain in power after a revolt against his leadership by most of Labour‘s 220 lawmakers. But he retains strong backing from trade unions and a majority of Labour members.He said "Labour is stronger" since he won a leadership election last year, pointing to a large rise in membership and several good results in by-elections."Labour Party membership has gone from less than 200,000 just a year ago, to over half a million members," Corbyn said."A government under my leadership will move decisively towards a society in which opportunity and prosperity is truly shared - in which no individual is held back and no community left behind," he said.Corbyn‘s challenger, Owen Smith, has said he can provide a "radical and credible" alternative and, unlike Corbyn, can lead Labour into government.A second challenger, Angela Eagle, dropped out of the race after Smith attracted greater support from Labour lawmakers."I‘ve been a proud member of the Labour Party for 30 years," Smith, 46, said at the launch of his campaign earlier this week."But I worry that, under this leadership, we risk splitting our party," he said."Britain needs a strong united opposition to take on this devastating Tory government," Smith wrote in Wednesday‘s Daily Mirror.He promised Labour supporters "an exciting, energetic and positive campaign.""That will not only offer you hope for the future of the Labour party, but a real chance for the Labour government we all so desperately want and need," Smith said.A postal ballot of Labour members and affiliates is scheduled to close on September 21.Corbyn, who has seen most of his former shadow cabinet resign, won the Labour leadership in September with almost 60 per cent of the 422,000 votes cast, beating three other candidates.Other Labour lawmakers have criticized his weak campaigning for Britain to remain in the European Union ahead of last month‘s Brexit referendum.Corbyn opposed the renewal of Britain‘s Trident system of submarine-based nuclear missiles during a parliamentary debate on Monday, despite Labour officially supporting the retention of Trident.