Labour spin doctor ‘offers tips to Brexit campaign’
ONE of Labour’s most senior advisers is at the centre of controversy after a private message that he accidentally posted publicly appeared to show him advising Michael Gove and the Brexit campaign.
Damian McBride, whose party’s official position is to back the Remain campaign, posted the message: “Very good! By the way, I’ll email you another VATrelated idea this evening. Just in case there’s a day/interview where MG is looking for a new line.”
MG is thought to be the initials of Michael Gove, one of the most senior Conservatives campaigning for a Brexit vote in the EU referendum.
The message suggests that Mr McBride is helping the Brexit campaign with policy ideas. The claim has been strongly denied by Vote Leave, who said it was “completely untrue” that Mr McBride was advising them on policy.
It follows an announcement by Vote Leave last week that a Brexit vote would allow the Government to cut the rate of VAT on fuel in order to reduce energy bills.
Mr McBride, a former adviser to Gordon Brown, is thought to have been consulted because he is a VAT expert.
He has not announced his support for the Leave campaign and as a senior adviser to Mr Corbyn’s team would be expected to back Remain or stay neutral on the issue. The slip-up will likely infuriate his boss Emily Thornberry, Labour’s shadow defence secretary, who is a firm Remain campaigner and has stated her opposition to a Brexit.
The message, posted publicly on Twitter last night and hastily deleted, is thought to have been meant for one of the members of the Brexit campaign.
Gisela Stuart, the most senior Labour figure in the Vote Leave campaign, also denied speaking to Mr McBride last night. Mr McBride declined to comment. A senior Remain source said: “It would be extremely concerning if Labour Party employees were secretly campaigning for Vote Leave.”
Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, was previously embroiled in controversy over his position on the UK’s membership of the EU after it emerged he had deleted a series of highly critical articles about the union from his personal website.