Jeremy Corbyn condemns ally Clive Lewis for 'on your knees b*tch' remark
1 min read
Jeremy Corbyn has condemned one of his MPs who was caught on camera telling a Labour member to “get on your knees, b*tch”.
The Labour leader said the remark by ally Clive Lewis was “completely unacceptable” and rejected the suggestion it suggested a wider misogyny in the party.
Norwich South MP Mr Lewis - who formerly served on the frontbench under Mr Corbyn - made the controversial comment during a mock game show at the Labour conference last month.
He has already admitted his behaviour was wrong and apologised for the “offensive and unacceptable” language.
Asked about the incident on a trip to Norwich, Mr Corbyn said the comment was "completely wrong, [he] should never have said it - [those are] completely unacceptable comments".
He added: "He's been in touch with me to apologise personally to me, and it's a message to everybody: this kind of language is not acceptable in any circumstances at any time."
Asked whether it suggested a wider misogyny in the Labour party, he said: "It points to a bad remark he made in particular circumstances.
"I'm leading a party which has more women MPs than all the others put together, and we have more all-women shortlists for selections coming up."
Mr Lewis was supposed to join Mr Corbyn and Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell for the party fundraising event in Norwich, but failed to do so.
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe