19 February 2019

What the Mail REALLY thinks of the “seven decent MPs” it’s defending

Hypocriticism.

Predictably, the Daily Mail is absolutely relishing the Labour split – and, apparently, now looks kindly upon the MPs who have left the party.

Its front page today calls them “seven decent MPs”, and slams Jeremy Corbyn as a “Leader who’s lost the plot”, with a photo of him carrying bundles of potatoes at his allotment:

Photo: Twitter

Now, the latter point is pretty standard issue Mail Labour leader-bashing. But what about those “decent” splitters, eh?

Your mole can’t recall the Daily Mail and MailOnline being particularly enamoured with them before today. Let’s take a look.

It slammed Chuka Umunna as a “jetrosexual”, “party-loving MP” and a “playboy”, when dredging up his profile on an elite social network. It also raked over the details of his father’s death (a “tragic family secret” and “mystery car crash”), his relationships and his personal life. In 2015, his aides said that the Daily Mail followed his mother home (the newspaper denied this allegation at the time), and his girlfriend’s parents and 102-year-old grandmother were doorstepped by reporters.

Only yesterday, the MailOnline ran a piece on Angela Smith’s “cringeworthy BBC interview” in which she appeared to refer to people from BAME communities as a “funny tinge” or “funny tint”.

In 2009, the newspaper included Ann Coffey in a report on Labour politicians’ expenses claims headlined “Labour’s class war explodes in its face: Expenses claims show Party’s MPs milked the system to live like lords”. During the expenses scandal that year, it was revealed that Coffey claimed £1,000 per month for the interest on the mortgage of her London home and £160 per month for a cleaner.

Last August, the MailOnline jumped the gun and claimed in a headline that Mike Gapes “reveals he is quitting the party” – he had to deny leaving the party and tweeted: “In the words of Mark Twain. ‘This report is greatly exaggerated’.”

ALSO all seven MPs support a second referendum – something the Mail, with its threatening “Enemies of the People”, “Saboteurs” and “Traitors in Ermine” front pages, doesn’t seem particularly keen on. Funny, that.