Labour in rally sexism storm
LABOUR chiefs were engulfed in sexism claims last night after men and women sat apart at a party rally.
Members showed up for the get-together ahead of the crucial Oldham West by-election.
But when they entered the hall for their crisis talks at the Asian party rally, the males and females sat on opposite sides.
Ukip last night blasted Jeremy Corbyn’s party for returning to the Dark Ages.
John Bickley, the constituency’s Ukip candidate, said: “Is this really Labour’s modern Britain where a political event is segregated by gender?
“This was not a religious meeting where cultural traditions must be respected but a political gathering.”
Ukip MP Douglas Carswell added: “Did the British Labour party really just hold a gender-segregated public meeting?”
It comes just months after Labour was blasted when men and women sat apart at an election rally in Birmingham.
Labour’s Friends of Bangladesh group headed the rally in Oldham West and Royton ahead of Thursday’s by-election.
A fifth of voters are ethnic minorities and analysts say winning them over is crucial.
But critics let fly on Twitter.
Bradley Strait fumed: “Interesting that @UK Labour held a sex segregated meeting in Oldham. I forgot we lived in the Victorian age.”
The by-election was triggered after Michael Meacher’s death.
Labour last night denied members were forced to sit apart.
The red-faced Labour leader ditched his plans to ban his politicians from backing the Tory proposals just 24 hours after insisting “I’m the boss.” He caved in to threats of a mass walkout during an emergency Shadow Cabinet meeting. The important vote will happen tomorrow in the House of Commons, the Prime