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While the Tories today swap out David Cameron for Theresa May with barely a ripple, the Labour leadership contest continues to make the latest series of Love Island look like a cheery chat between pals.
At a rally in support of Jeremy Corbyn’s continued leadership in London last night, John McDonnell raised this mole’s whiskers when he made no bones about exactly what he thought of the party’s rebelling MPs.
“They’ve been planning this coup from the day Jeremy got elected,” he told a cheering crowd. “They’ve been plotting and conniving – the only good thing about it [is] as plotters, they’re fucking useless.”
The rally came after Labour’s ruling body said Corbyn would automatically be on the ballot for the coming leadership contest, but that there would be a six-month freeze date for members (meaning the 130,000 people who have joined the party since January will not be automatically eligible to vote).
In spite of Corbyn warning his party against aggressive words – “there should be no bad language used, there should be no abuse used, and I don’t like the use of the word ‘traitor’ either” – McDonnell defended his language on the BBC’s Today programme this morning. “It was a stand up comedy event,” he said. “I’m an ordinary bloke. I used some bad language . . . If my mother was still alive today she’d be coming down and telling me she was going to wash my mouth out with soap.”
Perhaps it’s time for all of our politicians’ parents to have a word or two with their delinquent kids.