Esther McVey (pictured in Downing Street last week) has been subjected to a tide of abuse since her appointment as Work and Pensions Secretary last night
Jeremy Corbyn today refused to condemn John McDonnell for branding Esther McVey a ‘stain on humanity’.
The Labour leader sidestepped questions about whether he endorsed Mr McDonnell’s vicious attacks on Ms McVey.
Mr McDonnell’s extraordinary jibes in November 2014 have been widely slammed as an example of abuse and harassment in politics.
As well as describing the then-welfare minister – who was promoted to the Cabinet last week – as a ‘stain on humanity’, Mr McDonnell repeated suggestions that she should be ‘lynched’ amid laughter from activists at a meeting.
He has repeatedly refused to apologise and insisted he was not advocating violence.
Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom today said Mr McDonnell’s behaviour had been ‘truly evil’ and ‘utterly disgusting’.
But challenged on the issue during an interview on ITV’s Peston programme, Mr Corbyn – who claims he stands for ‘kinder, gentler politics’ – said: ‘I would rather stick to where I disagree with somebody on their policies.
‘I fundamentally disagree with Esther McVey and her approach towards inequality and the poor and the worst off in our society, and I will stick to that.’
Mr Corbyn was pressed to emulate a Tory pledge to suspend any candidate who were abusive in person or on social media.
The left-wing veteran stopped short of agreeing to the respect code, but said: ‘It’s basic in the Labour Party, you treat people with respect and treat each other with respect.
Speaking on ITV’s Peston programme, Jeremy Corbyn refused to criticise John McDonnell for his comments about Esther McVey
Mr McDonnell (file image) previously branded Ms McVey a ‘stain on humanity’ and was accused of repeating calls for her to be ‘lynched’
‘We’re quite clear. Public behaviour is about respect, is about listening to people, is about how you treat each other.
‘Surely that should be a norm in public life.’
Ms McVey has been subjected to a renewed tide of abuse since being promoted to the Cabinet last week.
Her Labour shadow Debbie Abrahams said this morning that they were friends ‘on a human level’ but her policies ‘left a lot to be desired’.
On the previous remarks by Mr McDonnell, Ms Abrahams said: ‘It’s not the language that I would use.
‘I think we need to be very careful as I say, that all of us – journalists, politicians, everybody, in terms of the language.’
Mrs Leadsom insisted: ‘The laughter about launching a campaign against @EstherMcVey1 on her birthday, and then the guffaws about killing her. Seriously? Is this ‘s kinder, gentler politics? This has to stop.’
Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry left herself open to a hypocrisy charge last week as she refused to criticise Mr McDonnell despite condemning Tory appointee Toby Young as a ‘horrible man’ with a ‘disgusting attitude to women’.