Moment furious Jeremy Corbyn loses his cool with female reporter as she quizzes him over being blocked from standing for Labour by Keir Starmer – as his allies compare party leader to ‘Putin’
- Mr Corbyn has sat as an independent MP since losing the whip in October 2020
- He said allegations of antisemitism during his time in charge were exaggerated
- Starmer says party’s election hopes are ‘not well served’ by Mr Corbyn running
Jeremy Corbyn snapped at a young female reporter outside Parliament after losing his cool over moves by Labour to end his career as a party MP.
The former opposition leader berated a Sky News correspondent last night as Keir Starmer blocked him from standing as a Labour candidate at the next election.
Mr Corbyn was officially barred from standing for Labour in Islington North today after a motion tabled at its ruling NEC by his successor, labelling him an electoral liability, passed 22-12.
The 73-year-old is said to have already decided to run against Labour as an independent and his hard-left supporters accused Sir Keir of acting like ‘some kind of Putin’ today over the way the ex-leader is being treated.
But when a Sky reporter tried to ask Mr Corbyn about it last night outside Parliament he replied: ‘I’m going to a demonstration against the Immigration Bill and I suggest you report that too.’
When she replied that it was being covered, he added: ‘Well good, you can come and listen to what I have to say. I look forward to seeing you over there, thank you very much.’
As she pressed on he turned towards her and glared, repeating: ‘Thank you very much.’
The hard-Left former party leader faces being officially barred from standing for Labour in Islington North in a vote by its ruling NEC today that was instigated by his successor
Mr Corbyn has sat as an independent MP since losing the whip in October 2020, when he said that allegations of anti-Semitism during his time in charge had been exaggerated by his political opponents
His Parliamentary allies are pushing for him to be allowed to run, with MP Beth Winter making the extraordinary demand that he is cleared ‘in the interests of General Election success’
Mr Corbyn remained tight-lipped on his future plans but insisted in a statement that he and his allies were ‘not going anywhere’
Mr Corbyn has sat as an independent MP since losing the whip in October 2020, when he said that allegations of antisemitism during his time in charge had been exaggerated by his political opponents.
Allies expect him to announce by the end of this week that he will run anyway in a move that would mean his automatic expulsion as a Labour Party member. One told The Times: ‘It has become personal.’
His Parliamentary allies continue to push for him to be allowed to run, with MP Beth Winter making the extraordinary demand that he be cleared ‘in the interests of General Election success’.
Under Mr Corbyn’s leadership at the 2019 election, Labour suffered its worst result since the 1930s, handing Boris Johnson an 80-seat majority.
Speaking to Times Radio this afternoon, former Momentum leader Jon Lansman said: ‘I think we should be campaigning still for radical policy…
‘We have to demand. We’re a democratic party. This is not an authoritarian party. Keir Starmer unfortunately is behaving as if he was some kind of Putin of the Labour Party. That is not the way we do politics.’
However, he said he would not campaign for Mr Corbyn as an independent, saying: ‘I want to see Keir Starmer elected as prime minister of this country, and we need a Labour government.’
Ed Miliband, himself a former party leader, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that Labour’s National Executive Committee would consider Mr Corbyn’s response to a damning report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission following an investigation into the antisemitism row that engulfed the party under Mr Corbyn’s leadership.
He added: ‘I’m not privy to exactly what goes on in the National Executive, but I don’t think there is any mystery about the background to today’s discussion at the National Executive Committee.
‘It’s about one thing, which is about Jeremy Corbyn’s reaction to the EHRC report on antisemitism and his refusal to apologise for that reaction. That is the background of this. I don’t think there’s any mystery about that.
‘Keir Starmer said some weeks ago that he didn’t believe Jeremy Corbyn should be a candidate at the election and that is obviously a decision the National Executive will have to make.’
A motion in opposition to the veteran MP, who has represented the London constituency of Islington North since 1983, is expected to be backed by the NEC.
It states: ‘The Labour Party’s interests, and its political interests at the next general election, are not well served by Mr Corbyn running as a Labour Party candidate.’
Sir Keir ruled out Mr Corbyn standing again for Labour last month, as he insisted the party had undergone a transformation since he took over.
He confirmed the move after the EHRC lifted Labour out of two years of special measures over its failings on antisemitism under Mr Corbyn.
Mr Corbyn is sitting in the Commons as an independent after being suspended over his response to the damning EHRC report in 2020, which found that Labour had broken equality law.
He accused Sir Keir of ‘undermining the party’s internal democracy’ ahead of the vote.
Members of Labour’s Left wing expressed their fury at Sir Keir’s action and branded him ‘duplicitous’ as they highlighted how the Labour leader has previously described Mr Corbyn as a ‘friend’.
Ms Winter, the MP for Cynon Valley in Wales, said: ‘I believe Jeremy Corbyn being allowed to stand would broaden Labour’s appeal. NEC members should uphold the right of Constituency Labour Party members to conduct a selection process including Jeremy.
‘In the interests of General Election success, I urge NEC members to withdraw the motion.’
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