Corbyn denies calling May ‘stupid woman’, Labor sacks MP

Jeremy Corbyn’s cred­ibility is on the line after the British Labou­r leader was forced to deny calling ­Theresa May a “stupid woman”.

Tory MPs urge British Speaker John Bercow, right, to review a video clip showing Jeremy Corbyn muttering remarks during question time yesterday. Picture: AP

Jeremy Corbyn’s cred­ibility is on the line after the Labou­r leader was forced to deny that he had called Prime Minister ­Theresa May a “stupid woman”.

The Labour leader was accused of sexism by Conservative MPs after he appeared to make the comment in response to Mrs May, who had compared his attempt to force a confidence vote in her this week to a Christmas pantomime. The footage of his muttered respons­e rapidly went viral.

The authority of the Speaker, John Bercow, was called into question when he said that he was unabl­e to act.

Tory MPs, united in anger, forced the initially reluctant Speaker to review the footage. Although several experts concluded that the Labour leader had said the words, Mr Bercow ruled that MPs must accept Mr Corbyn’s claim that he had said “stupid people”.

Andrea Leadsom, the leader of the house, said that voters “would draw their own conclusions” as to the credibility of that claim.

In more bad news for Labour, the party suspended one of its MPs, a former party whip, yesterday when she was found guilty of perverting the course of justice.

A jury convicted Fiona Ona­sanya, 35, of lying to police to avoid a speeding charge. She faces a possible jail sentence. The party called on the former solicito­r, who has a majority of 607, to resign.

Despite Mr Corbyn’s insistence that he had not criticised the Prime Minister directly, Jeremy Freeman, a lip reader, told The Times that the Labour leader had used the words “stupid woman”. Sky News commissioned four lip-readers, all of whom agreed.

Tension is high in the House of Commons over claims of sexism, bullying, Brexit divisions and the role of the Speaker. Many Labour MPs are understood to be in des­pair over Mr Corbyn’s handling of Brexit and his botched attempt on Monday at a no-confidence vote on Mrs May’s leadership.

After the footage went viral, some politicians on the Labour benches joined dozens of Conservati­ve MPs in calling on Mr Corbyn to apologise.

Labour MP Stella Creasy wrote on Twitter: “This is not OK. “PMQs is a hotbed of emotions but I hope that Jeremy will accept this kind of behaviour isn’t his normal good nature or what we expect of progressive men #21stcenturycalling.”

Mr Corbyn refused to apologise. “During prime minister’s question time today I referred to those who I believe were seeking to turn a debate about the national crisis facing our country into a pantomime as ‘stupid people’,” he said.

“I did not use the words ‘stupid woman’ about the Prime Minister or anyone else, and am completely opposed to the use of sexist or misog­ynist language in absolutely any form at all, and am happy to place that on the record.”

After Mr Bercow said yesterday that MPs who had been discourteous to other MPs should apologise, Mrs Leadsom referred to her own dispute with the Speaker this year. She said: “I would just like to ask, after your finding that individuals who are found to have made unwelcome remarks should apologise, why it is that when an opposition member found that you had called me a stupid woman you did not apologise in this chamber.”

A visibly indignant Mr Bercow replied that he had “dealt with that matter months ago”.

THE TIMES