Emily Thornberry apologises for saying she 'hates' the SNP
2 min read
Emily Thornberry has apologised for saying she "hates" the SNP.
The Shadow Foreign Secretary was severely criticised for making the remark at a Labour leadership hustings last weekend.
Responding to a question on the SNP’s record in government, she said: "I hate the SNP. I think they're Tories wrapped up in nationalist clothing. I think they pretend to be on the Left."
SNP MP Tommy Sheppard said her language showed that Labour had “turned its back on Scotland long ago.”
He added: “If prospective Labour leaders focussed even half as much energy on holding the right-wing Tory government to account as they did on hating the SNP, they might actually gain some respect.”
Former Labour MP Mark Lazarowicz, who lost his seat to the SNP in 2015, also joined in the criticism, describing Ms Thornberry's remarks as "ridiculous and offensive".
Before asking an urgent question in the Commons on the USA’s proposed Middle East peace plan, Ms Thornberry said: "Could I take a brief moment to apologise to my colleagues on the SNP benches for the language I used in the heat of hustings last week.
"When we are debating the Middle East it is a salutary reminder to me both in that there is no place for hate in our politics and also that on almost every foreign policy issue, including this one, we have opposed the Tory government together, and I’m sorry for what I’ve said."
SNP MPs praised the move, with Pete Wishart tweeting: "A full apology from Emily Thornberry for her 'I hate the SNP' comment. Just made in the chamber. Good to see senior MPs put their hands up when they get the tone so badly wrong.”
Meanwhile Stewart McDonald, the SNP's defence spokesman, tweeted that he “heartily accepted” her apology and had invited her to the SNP’s Burns Supper in London.
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