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Peep Show's Robert Webb quits Labour Party following rant against Jeremy Corbyn

Webb said Labour had 'made a mistake' when it elected Jeremy Corbyn as leader

Thursday 19 November 2015 22:28 GMT

Robert Webb said the Labour Party made a mistake when it elected Jeremy Corbyn as leader (Mark Johnson)

The Peep Show actor Robert Webb, a prominent Labour supporter, has quit the party, saying he is fed up arguing with “the Corbytrons” and “just can’t stick with all the posturing twats”.

Webb, 43, who has written numerous political columns, said Labour had “made a mistake” when it elected Jeremy Corbyn as leader.

But he also singled out Seumas Milne, a journalist appointed as Labour’s strategy and communications director, for condemnation. He said the idea of giving “the likes of [him]” £11 a month in party subscription fees “makes me feel sick”. Mr Milne has been described as a “hate figure” for those on the right of the Labour Party.

Before the general election, Webb endorsed Ed Miliband in an emotional article in which the actor referred to his mother’s death in hospital in 1990, saying she was left “at the mercy of an NHS after a decade of underinvestment” by the Conservatives.

The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn

Show all 11

1/11The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn

The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn

He called Hezbollah and Hamas ‘friends’

True. In a speech made to the Stop the War Coalition in 2009, Mr Corbyn called representatives from both groups “friends” after inviting them to Parliament. He later told Channel 4 he wanted both groups, who have factions designated as international terror organisations, to be “part of the debate” for the Middle East peace process. “I use (the word ‘friends’) in a collective way, saying our friends are prepared to talk,” he added. “Does it mean I agree with Hamas and what it does? No. Does it mean I agree with Hezbollah and what they do? No.”

Reuters

The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn

‘Jeremy Corbyn thinks the death of Osama bin Laden was a tragedy’

Partly false. David Cameron used this as a line of attack at the Conservative Party conference but appears to have left out all context from Mr Corbyn’s original remarks. In an 2011 interview on Iranian television, the then-backbencher said the fact the al-Qaeda leader was not put on trial was the tragedy, continuing: “The World Trade Center was a tragedy, the attack on Afghanistan was a tragedy, the war in Iraq was a tragedy.”

The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn

He is ‘haunted’ by the legacy of his ‘evil’ great-great-grandfather

False. A Daily Express exposé revealed that the Labour leader’s ancestor, James Sargent, was the “despotic” master of a Victorian workhouse. Addressing the report at the Labour conference, Mr Corbyn said he had never heard of him before, adding: “I want to take this opportunity to apologise for not doing the decent thing and going back in time and having a chat with him about his appalling behaviour.”

The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn

Jeremy Corbyn raised a motion about ‘pigeon bombs’ in Parliament

This one is true. On 21 May 2004, Mr Corbyn raised an early day motion entitled “pigeon bombs”, proposing that the House register being “appalled but barely surprised” that MI5 reportedly proposed to load pigeons with explosives as a weapon. The motion continued: “The House… believes that humans represent the most obscene, perverted, cruel, uncivilised and lethal species ever to inhabit the planet and looks forward to the day when the inevitable asteroid slams into the earth and wipes them out thus giving nature the opportunity to start again.” It was not carried.

The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn

He rides a Communist bicycle

False. A report in The Times referred to Mr Corbyn, known for his cycling, riding a “Chairman Mao-style bicycle” earlier this year. “Less thorough journalists might have referred to it as just a bicycle, but no, so we have to conclude that whenever we see somebody on a bicycle from now on, there goes another supporter of Chairman Mao,” he later joked.

The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn

'Jeremy Corbyn will appoint a special minister for Jews'

False so far. The Sun report in December was allegedly based on a “rumour” passed to the paper by a Daily Express columnist who has written pieces critical of the Labour leader in the past. The minister did not materialise in his shadow cabinet.

The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn

‘Jeremy Corbyn wishes Britain would abolish its Army’

False. Another gem from The Sun took comments made at a Hiroshima remembrance parade in August 2012 where Mr Corbyn supported Costa Rica’s move to abolish it armed forces. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every politician around the world…abolished the army and took pride in the fact that they don’t have an army,” he added. The caveat that “every politician” must take the step suggests Mr Corbyn does not support UK disarmament just yet.

The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn

Jeremy Corbyn stole sandwiches meant for veterans

False. The Guido Fawkes blog claimed that the Labour leader took sandwiches meant for veterans at at Battle of Britain memorial service in September but a photo later emerged showing him being handed one by Costa volunteers, who later confirmed they were given to all guests.

The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn

He missed the induction into the Queen’s privy council

True. After much speculation about Mr Corbyn’s republican views and willingness to bow to the monarch, his office confirmed that he did not attend the official induction to the privy council because of a prior engagement, but did not rule out joining the body.

The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn

Jeremy Corbyn refuses to sing the national anthem.

Partly true. The Labour leader was filmed standing in silence as God Save the Queen was sung at a Battle of Britain remembrance service but will reportedly sing it in future. Mr Corbyn was elusive on the issue in an interview, saying he would show memorials “respect in the proper way”, but sources said he would sing the anthem at future occasions.

The most ridiculous claims made about Jeremy Corbyn

He is a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cheese

True. The group lists its purpose as the following: “To increase awareness of issues surrounding the dairy industry and focus on economic issues affecting the dairy industry and producers.”

During Labour’s leadership contest, Webb warned that Mr Corbyn was “almost GM-designed by [the] Tories to lose the next election”, prompting attacks from the left-winger’s supporters.

Writing on social media, Webb said of his decision to leave Labour: “It’s a personal choice and I admire those sticking around. I’ve just had it. I just can’t stick with all the posturing twats.”

He revealed his decision in an apparently spontaneous reaction to a Twitter posting by Hopi Sen, a former Labour official who has also criticised Mr Corbyn’s leadership.

Mr Sen tried to persuade Webb to reconsider. “This distresses me. Really. Stay. We may not deserve your loyalty, but we desperately need your help,” he wrote.

But Webb replied that he felt that half of Labour members thought he was “doing the opposite of helping… and tell me about it very horribly”. He added: “Eventually, you just go ‘fuck this’.”

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