WATCH Jeremy Corbyn: I did not call Theresa May a stupid woman
3 min read
Jeremy Corbyn has flatly denied calling Theresa May a “stupid woman” following an angry clash at Prime Minister’s Questions today.
Footage from the Commons appeared to show the Labour leader mouthing the words, triggering a furious backlash from Conservative MPs who accused him of sexism.
But returning to the Commons to address the row this afternoon, Mr Corbyn doubled down on a claim from his spokesperson that he had in fact said “stupid people”.
He told MPs: “During Prime Minister’s question time today I referred to those who I believe are seeking to turn a debate about the national crisis facing our country into a pantomime as ‘stupid people’.”
To loud objections from the Tory benches, the Labour leader continued: “Mr Speaker, I did not use the words ‘stupid woman’ about the Prime Minister or anyone and am completely opposed to the use of sexist or misogynistic language in absolutely any form at all.
“And I’m happy to place that on the record at your request this afternoon. ”
The short statement came after Commons Speaker John Bercow revealed he had consulted professional lip speakers about the incident, and said nobody could be “100% certain” about what Mr Corbyn had said.
“As I have told the House, I neither saw the incident nor heard anything," he said.
"It was, for the same reasons, neither heard nor seen by the clerks or by my private secretary.
"Nor was there any immediate reaction in the House. I believe the allegation made by a number of honourable and right honourable members was based upon the visual evidence from Parliament TV. I also have to rely purely on visual evidence.
"I am not a lip reader or indeed a lip speaker. Nobody can be 100% certain. That includes professional lip readers. But I will naturally take and would be expected to take the word of any right honourable or honourable member. It is reasonable to expect the House to do the same."
'DEEP REGRET'
Cabinet minister Andrea Leadsom - who earlier clashed with Mr Bercow in a separate sexism row - said she "deeply" regretted Mr Corbyn's response to the claim.
"I think that the country and this House will have drawn their own conclusions and I deeply regret - I deeply regret - that the right honourable Gentleman has not seen fit to apologise to my right honourable friend the Prime Minister," the Commons Leader said.
Footage of Mr Corbyn's aside to his Labour colleagues had earlier kicked off a wave of criticism from MPs on the Government benches.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "The mask slips. Jeremy Corbyn’s abuse of the Prime Minister shows what a reactionary misogynist he is."
But Mr Corbyn's spokesperson was adamant in a post-PMQs briefing with reporters that the Labour leader had not uttered the phrase.
“He did not call her a stupid woman and so I don’t think there is any basis for an apology," the spokesperson said. "As I understand it, he said stupid people."
They added: "He’s clear that he did not say stupid woman and has no time for any kind of misogynistic abuse of any kind.
"And people who are trying to make out he said something he didn’t obviously have to account for themselves."
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