Corbyn was stupid to help Tories find inner feminist
TORY Cabinet ministers can’t believe their luck. They’ve got to Christmas and they are still in office.
There was general agreement around the table on Tuesday that their good fortune is mostly owed to Jeremy Corbyn.
Having briefed on Monday afternoon that the leader of the opposition would move a motion of no confidence in the Prime Minister, the threat came to nought when Corbyn actually stood up in the Commons. Goaded perhaps by the mocking of the press corp and opponents, Corbyn then stood up at 6pm as the debate came to a close to announce that, after all, he would do it.
Tuesday dawned and it was all off again.
“If it was Nicola Sturgeon who was across the chamber she would be banging Theresa May’s head off the despatch box every day,” said a senior source who is no fan of the First Minister but is well aware of my Scottish radar. Actually, it was Sturgeon who rode to Corbyn’s rescue on Wednesday when the Tory whips smelled an opportunity at Prime Minister’s Questions.
At times like these, politics is as raw as the jungle, weakness is sensed and pounced on.
Whether Corbyn said “stupid woman” or “stupid people” doesn’t really matter now. What matters is the boost it gave the Tory benches, who went away for Christmas happy, and the headache the size of curling stone it gave the Labour operation.
Sturgeon was right. If he said it, apologise and move on, because it is a bit rich that gammon-faced Tory MPs in denial about the rape clause in the benefits system suddenly found their inner feminist when it came to defending their Prime Minister from misogyny.
No word of how the same Tory whips the week before allowed two MPs back into the party to secure May’s leadership against a bonkers Brexiteer challenge.
One was accused of sexual harassment by his own constituents and sent thousands of unwanted sexual texts to them.
The other was suspended after serious allegations against him including rape were referred to the police.
For them, the ends justify the means. Corbyn is further weakened, and now everyone knows it.