I’m Corbyn’s Black Widow brags Thornberry in bizarre Tory rant
WOULD-BE Labour leader Emily Thornberry has launched an astonishing attack mocking the alleged sexual proclivities of Boris Johnson and other leading Tories.
The Shadow Foreign Secretary heaped ridicule on a trio of Cabinet Ministers she has faced in the Commons.
She also styled herself the ‘Black Widow of Westminster’ for the way her male Tory opposite numbers were forced to quit.
Her risqué comments came as she addressed a Labour fundraising event in the South London constituency of party grandee Harriet Harman.
In an innuendo-laden speech, Ms Thornberry – who has deputised for Mr Corbyn in the Commons and was previously Shadow Defence Secretary – was cheered as she took aim at a succession of male Ministers she has faced across the Despatch Box.
She began by mocking former Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon, who quit last year after admitting making unwanted advances to a journalist.
Then she lampooned ex-Deputy Prime Minister Damian Green, who was forced to quit from the Cabinet over ‘inaccurate and misleading’ statements over what he knew about claims pornography was found on his office computer.
But to the delight of Labour activists, Ms Thornberry moved on to poke fun at Mr Johnson’s colourful private life and then took a swipe at her current opposite number, ‘squeaky clean’ Jeremy Hunt.
In a 21-minute oration, she said: ‘I’m like the Black Widow of Westminster because everybody I shadow seems to end up resigning.
‘I started off with Michael Fallon… you may remember why he had to resign – because he couldn’t keep his hands to himself… Then I was shadowing Damian Green. He had to resign because he couldn’t keep his hands off himself.
‘And then I shadowed Boris Johnson and God knows where his hands have been, right?’ She added: ‘But now I’m shadowing Jeremy Hunt and I’m told he’s completely squeaky clean. But you and I know, that the truth of the matter is, wait for it… he’s been screwing the NHS for the last four years.’ Labour members screamed their approval even though in fact, Mr Hunt was Health Secretary for just under six years. An activist present at the event – held earlier this month – said: ‘Emily went down a storm. She’s clearly considering a career in stand-up comedy if she doesn’t get to take over from Corbyn. The Labour faithful loved it.’ But Tory MPs condemned Ms Thornberry – not least as Mr Johnson resigned from the Cabinet in the summer over Theresa May’s Chequers Brexit deal, not over his private life, which has included two affairs and two marriages.
Tory MP Nigel Evans said: ‘Everyone likes a joke but this is in rather poor taste from Ms Thornberry. And she has no right to criticise Jeremy Hunt because it’s down to him that we are getting another £20 billion for the Health Service.
‘If that’s screwing the NHS, let’s have some more of it.’
He also pointed out that the so-called Black Widow of Westminster herself had to resign from the Labour front bench in 2014 after appearing to mock a terrace house in Kent which was covered with three England flags.
Tory MPs also poke their own fun at Ms Thornberry by addressing the Islington MP as ‘Lady Nugee’, a title she could use because she is married to a judge, Sir Christopher Nugee.
By Brendan Carlin POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT