British Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn Holds Call With Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez

British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and New York Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez held a phone call on Sunday, the Hill reports.

Corbyn expressed support for Ocasio-Cortez, praising the young representative for challenging the status quo and calling for the creation of an international movement to challenge “migrant baiters,” billionaires, and combat climate change.

“Great to speak to [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] on the phone this evening and hear first hand how she’s challenging the status quo. Let’s build a movement across borders to take on the billionaires, polluters and migrant baiters, and support a happier, freer and cleaner planet.”

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez celebrated the call as well, stating that it was an “honor” to speak with Corbyn. “Also honored to share a great hope in the peace, prosperity, [and] justice that everyday people can create when we uplift one another across class, race, [and] identity both at home & abroad,” the New York Democrat stated.

It comes as no surprise that Corbyn and Ocasio-Cortez decided to hold a phone call, given that both are often described as democratic socialists. In a 2018 column, the Guardian‘s Ben Tarnoff described what he dubbed “the next left,” pointing out that Bernie Sanders in the United States and Jeremy Corbyn in the United Kingdom are becoming forces to be reckoned with.

Tarnoff singled out Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as the face of a new generation of challengers to the centrist status quo. He opined that leaders like Sanders and Corbyn appear to have breathed life into left-wing movements in their respective countries, creating space for a new generation of young, ambitious politicians willing to introduce non-mainstream ideas.

The American and the British left-wing movement appear to be fueling and reinforcing each other, at least to an extent. As the Hill notes, Jeremy Corbyn expressed support for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, stating that Sanders had inspired some of his campaign ideas.

Jeremy Corbyn calls for building "movement across borders" after phone call with Ocasio-Cortez https://t.co/aTNeVhGm6V pic.twitter.com/aaa4Tnwdft

— The Hill (@thehill) February 4, 2019

Socialist-leaning New York Magazine Jacobin also drew a comparison between Corbyn and Sanders, arguing that both men appear to have managed — especially Corbyn — to rise through the ranks of their respective parties without compromising and making peace with the establishment. Corbyn has taken over the Labour Party, but Sanders has yet to do the same across the Atlantic.

In an op-ed published on Sunday, Al Jazeera‘s Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez credited Bernie Sanders with already winning the 2020 presidential election by changing the national discourse about universal healthcare or medicare for all. According to Tzintzun Ramirez, the fact that medicare for all was deemed too extreme only a few years ago speaks volumes about Sanders’ accomplishment.