Labour’s bid to lure ‘fisherpeople’
IF his aim was to bait viewers, then he succeeded. John McDonnell faced ridicule yesterday after he insisted on talking about ‘fisherpeople’ rather than ‘fishermen’ in a television appearance.
The Shadow Chancellor used the politically correct term when asked whether he would be prepared to see continental fishing fleets entering British waters after Brexit.
Dodging the question on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, Mr McDonnell said: ‘We want to ensure our own fisherpeople lead the discussions that we’re having about our future fishing industry.’
It comes after Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau last month joked we should use the word ‘people kind’ rather than ‘mankind’.
Reacting to Mr McDonnell’s comments, Tim Mitchell, a Tory councillor in North Lincolnshire, tweeted: ‘He actually described our fishermen as “fisherpeople” – he’s gone full Justin Trudeau.’