‘Menacing’ cards delivered to MPS critical of Corbyn
Police investigate ‘good luck with the new career’ messages delivered to offices by intruder
POLICE have been forced to intervene in Labour’s deselection row after two MPS had “sinister” cards delivered to their parliamentary offices wishing them “good luck with the new career”.
Officers from the parliamentary liaison unit were last night examining how an unknown intruder was able to enter the office of one of the MPS and place the card, which contained details of an forthcoming holiday to Cyprus, on their desk. Both MPS were also sent a miniature toy replica of Thomas the Tank Engine, which Left-wing supporters of Jeremy Corbyn have re- ferred to as the “Deselection Express”.
Joan Ryan and Gavin Shuker, the two Labour MPS affected, have been outspoken critics of Mr Corbyn’s handling of the party’s anti-semitism crisis, and were last week subjected to votes of no confidence by hard-left members of their constituency parties.
They are among a group of more than a dozen moderate MPS who fear that they could be deselected.
The Daily Telegraph understands that police officers investigating the incidents are working on the assumption that the culprits are parliamentary passholders, and are now trawling through CCTV footage taken in nearby corridors. The cards were delivered to their offices just hours after Mr Corbyn was confronted by backbench MPS over his refusal to intervene in the attempted purge of Labour moderates who have been critical of his leadership.
At some point between 8pm and 11pm, a card was left at the door of Mr Shuker’s office, whilst another was left on Ms Ryan’s desk after the intruder entered her office. More disturbingly, however, Ms Ryan said that the message left for her – “good luck in Cyprus” – referred to a holiday she had been preparing to take in two weeks, details of which were not widely known.
Speaking to The Telegraph last night, the veteran MP described the card as “menacing”. She added: “The idea that somebody was in my office is really upsetting. I don’t understand how they
could know that I was going on holiday to Cyprus. I can only think that they must have gained access to my diary. I feel vulnerable.”
It comes amid claims that John Mcdonnell, the shadow chancellor, has chosen to distance himself from Mr Corbyn’s handling of the deselection row.
While Mr Corbyn has said he will not interfere in the “democratic rights” of party members, Labour insiders last night claimed that the shadow chancellor gave two MPS personal assurances that he would intercede on their behalf.
Asked yesterday whether he had intervened to prevent the vote going ahead in Joan Ryan’s constituency, Mr Mcdonnell said: “I don’t want to go into private conversations that I’ve had.” Additional reporting by Christopher Hope, Chief Political Correspondent