Mcdonnell refuses to apologise over lynching comment

0 John Mcdonnell said he ‘did not wish harm to anybody’ John Mcdonnell has again refused to say sorry after repeating comments calling for Cabinet minister Esther Mcvey to be lynched.

The shadow chancellor has always insisted he was quoting other people, so he has nothing to apologise for.

But after a recording of the comments made in 2014 emerged, Commons leader Andrea Leadsom branded it “truly evil”.

He told BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show yesterday: “I’m surprised at Andrea. I like her, she’s a good woman.”

Mr Mcdonnell said he had not been quoting the comments approvingly.

“It was a stand up thing and I was saying, ‘Look, this is how rough politics is up there’.”

Mr Mcdonnell said he had previously “refuted completely” when MPS “misinterpreted it” and insisted he did “not wish harm to anybody”.

Mr 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,” he replied. The audio was not played. 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.”

During the wide-ranging interview, the shadow chancellor also said Labour wants access to a reformed single market. “It would not be the same single market, but would be access to a single market,” he said.