No apology for Mcdonnell’s ‘truly evil’ lynching remarks

JOHN MCDONNELL has refused to apologise to Esther Mcvey, the Work and Pensions Secretary, for repeating calls for her to be lynched.

The shadow chancellor was invited to say sorry to the Cabinet minister during an interview on the BBC’S The Andrew Marr Show, but would only say he “did not wish harm to anybody”.

A recording has emerged of comments he made in 2014, in which he said a Sack Esther Mcvey campaign had been launched in Liverpool, to which some people had replied: “Why are we sacking her, why aren’t we lynching the b-------?”.

Commons leader Andrea Leadsom branded it “truly evil”.

Mr Mcdonnell, has insisted he was quoting other people, so he has nothing to apologise for. He told Andrew Marr: “I’m surprised at Andrea. I like her, she’s a good woman.

“It was a stand-up thing and I was saying, look, this is how rough politics is up there.”

Marr asked the shadow chancellor if he wanted him to play the audio of the comments.

“You don’t need to, I know exactly what was on it,” Mr Mcdonnell replied.

Asked if he would apologise to Ms Mcvey, he replied: “I said then I did not support what was happening. Of course I didn’t support that. It is for those people who made that statement if they wish to make that apology.”

Mr Mcdonnell also said Labour wants access to a reformed single market after Brexit.

“It would not be the same single market, but would be access to a single market,” he said.