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  1. Politics
23 March 2016updated 12 Oct 2023 10:59am

Not neutral, very hostile: the miscategorised MPs on Jeremy Corbyn’s list of friends and foes

Keep your friends close, pretend your enemies are even closer.

By Media Mole

(Photo By Getty)

There’s much excitement in Westminster today over the publication by The Times of a leaked list of every Labour MP, classified by how sympathetic they are to the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn. No laughing at the back – there are some MPs who hate him in less subtle ways than others.

The list ranks 19 MPs as the “core group”, 56 in the “core group plus”, 72 as “neutral but not hostile”, 49 as “core group negative” and 36 as “hostile”. (Scroll down to the bottom of this piece for the full list).

Your mole reckons it could have come up with a more accurate list from its burrow.

Here’s Mike Gapes, in October, openly celebrating his intentions to rebel against Corbyn: 

The list has Gapes as “neutral but not hostile”. Yep.

Remember when some MPs were exasperated by shadow defence secretary Emily Thornberry’s presentation on Trident at the Parliamentary Labour Party meeting in February? This was Bridgend MP Madeleine Moon’s reaction:

Yet apparently she is “neutral but not hostile”.

When Corbyn suggested he supported decriminalising sex work earlier this month, Gavin Shuker MP responded like this:

How’s he ranked? You guessed it – “neutral but not hostile”.

And here’s Jim Fitzpatrick sharing an article about Jeremy Corbyn handing Britain to the Tories in a definitely non-hostile way.

But Corbyn’s staff clearly don’t follow him on Twitter so thinks he’s “neutral but not hostile”.

And Gisela Stuart, in November, being nice and neutral:

Surely the most ludicrous miscategorisation is Catherine McKinnell. Corbyn’s team should be at least vaguely aware of her view of him. After all, she resigned from his shadow cabinet in January, writing that the Labour party is heading down an “increasingly negative path”. Maybe that wasn’t clear enough for Corbyn, because McKinnell is also apparently neutral.

Mysteriously, there are 17 MPs missing from the grid. This is one of them offering his perspective on being vanished: 

Best political list since Peter Lilley went a bit weird at Tory party conference in 1992.

The list, from The Times:

Core Group (19 in total)

Clive Lewis shadow energy minister
Diane Abbott shadow international development secretary
John McDonnel shadow chancellor
Richard Burgon shadow city minister
Ian Lavery shadow cabinet office minister

Core Group Plus (56)

Emily Thornberry shadow defence secretary
Keir Starmer shadow home office minister
Lisa Nandy shadow energy secretary
Owen Smith shadow work and pensions secretary
Vernon Coaker shadow Northern Ireland secretary

Neutral But Not Hostile (72)

Angela Eagle shadow business secretary
Chris Bryant shadow Commons leader
Heidi Alexander shadow health secretary 
Wes Streeting MP for Ilford North
Jon Cruddas MP for Dagenham
Kate Hoey former sport minister

Core Group Negative (49)

Alan Johnson former home secretary
Dan Jarvis MP for Barnsley Central
John Spellar former defence minister
Maria Eagle shadow culture secretary
Lucy Powell shadow education secretary

Hostile Group (36)

Sadiq Khan London mayoral candidate
Rosie Winterton opposition chief whip
Margaret Hodge former public accounts committee chairwoman
Pat McFadden former shadow Europe minister
Rachel Reeves MP for Leeds West

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