John MCDonnell defends comments about Tory minister being 'lynched'
It comes just hours after Jeremy Corbyn called for a stop to personal attacks from the Labour party
Just hours after Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called for an end to personal abuse, his biggest ally John McDonnell has defended comments made about a former Tory minister being lynched and his description of her as a “stain on humanity”.
Ex-MP Esther McVey was sitting nearby when Mr McDonnell refused to back down over the comments he once made about her, something which later sparked outrage from Labour’s Yvette Cooper who demanded the shadow chancellor apologise.
Mr McDonnell was on ITV’s Peston programme on Sunday when he was asked about the comments made during a comedy night in 2014.
It was reported at the time that he repeated words, said by people angry at government policy, which called for Ms McVey to be lynched.
He admitted that he had sometimes “gone too far” in criticism of opponents, but insisted it was better to be honest about his views.
He said: “I was angry. Sometimes you need to express honest anger and that was about what this last government was doing to people with disabilities. It was appalling, to be frank, and sometimes it is better to be honest about how you feel.
“At times, in Parliament in particular, it means using strong language but, actually, if it reflects your honest views, I think it is better to be honest than it is to be in any way deceptive.”
Only yesterday, Mr Corbyn said in his victory speech following a leadership contest riddled with claims of abuse and bullying, that personal attacks had “no place” in the Labour party.
Speaking later on Peston, Ms Cooper said: “[Mr McDonnell] should have apologised. He should absolutely have apologised.
“The idea of saying that a woman MP, as Esther was at the time, should be lynched, it’s just wrong.”
Ms Cooper called on Mr McDonnell and Mr Corbyn to use their social media accounts to challenge people who are being abusive.
Comments
Share your thoughts and debate the big issues
Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines.
You can find our Community Guidelines in full here.
-
Newest first
-
Oldest first
-
Most liked
{{/moreThanOne}}Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines.
You can find our Community Guidelines in full here.
-
Newest first
-
Oldest first
-
Most liked
{{/moreThanOne_p}}Follow comments
Vote
Report Comment
Subscribe to Independent Premium to debate the big issues
Want to discuss real-world problems, be involved in the most engaging discussions and hear from the journalists? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Already registered? Log inReport Comment
Delete Comment
About The Independent commenting
Independent Premium Comments can be posted by members of our membership scheme, Independent Premium. It allows our most engaged readers to debate the big issues, share their own experiences, discuss real-world solutions, and more. Our journalists will try to respond by joining the threads when they can to create a true meeting of independent Premium. The most insightful comments on all subjects will be published daily in dedicated articles. You can also choose to be emailed when someone replies to your comment.
The existing Open Comments threads will continue to exist for those who do not subscribe to Independent Premium. Due to the sheer scale of this comment community, we are not able to give each post the same level of attention, but we have preserved this area in the interests of open debate. Please continue to respect all commenters and create constructive debates.