Corbyn ally MP brands voter a ‘horrible racist’
A CLOSE ally of Jeremy Corbyn apologised last night for calling a voter who raised concerns about immigration a ‘horrible racist’.
Labour’s Europe spokesman Pat Glass made the remarks while campaigning for Britain to stay in the EU.
At the end of a BBC radio interview in Sawley, Derbyshire, she was recorded saying: ‘The first person I come to is a horrible racist. I’m never coming back to wherever this is.’
Outraged opponents said it showed Labour’s contempt for ordinary workers’ concerns about migrant numbers.
Mrs Glass apologised to the voter – who had complained about a Polish family on benefits – and the village of Sawley.
It led to comparisons with Gordon Brown’s remark during the 2010 election campaign, describing Rochdale voter Gillian Duffy as a ‘bigoted woman’ after she had raised concerns about migrants. Critics also likened it to the snobbery row over Labour frontbencher Emily Thornberry’s ‘sneering’ post about a house with a white van parked outside flying England flags.
Mrs Glass was promoted to Europe spokesman in January, but until yesterday had maintained a low profile in the referendum campaign.
The Labour MP for North West Durham said: ‘The comments I made were inappropriate and I regret them. Concerns about immigration are entirely valid and it’s important that politicians engage with them. I apologise to the people living in Sawley for any offence I have caused.’
But Ukip migration spokesman Steven Woolfe MEP said the comments ‘show the contempt Labour has for ordinary workers’ concerns’.
He said: ‘You would think Labour would want to represent the concerns of working people, but it seems they instead view valid concerns about the levels of migration as being automatically racist.’