Harry Potter author JK Rowling posted an image of the protester last night
Jeremy Corbyn was condemned today for addressing a rally as ‘friends’ when it was attended by hard-left activists wearing shirts branded with the slogan ‘eradicate the right wing Blairite vermin’.
Harry Potter author JK Rowling highlighted the image on Twitter and it was immediately condemned by Labour MPs.
Islwyn MP Chris Evans joined a chorus of calls for Mr Corbyn to resign immediately as Labour leader as a coup is mounted by almost every one of the party’s MPs.
Mr Corbyn addressed the angry and noisy rally in Parliament Square last night, minutes after coming under heavy fire from his colleagues at the regular meeting of Labour MPs.
Ms Rowling said: ’11 days ago, a Labour MP was killed in the street leaving her surgery.
‘This T-shirt strike you as funny?’
In a letter to the leader, Mr Evans said: ‘Over the past months since you have been elected, the unity of the Labour Party has been threatened.
‘Your supporters – particularly those in Momentum – have tried to drive a deep wedge between Labour MPs and the grassroots, fuelled by John McDonnell who, I believe, relishes seeing the party in disarray.
‘The hypocrisy of being threatened with de-selection every time myself, or one of my colleagues, has disagreed with you is beyond belief given your and John’s past record in the House.
‘But this nastiness has come to surround and define your tenure and we witnessed just recently your active encouragement of it.’
Mr Evans recounted the remarks of former shadow Scotland secretary Ian Murray to last night’s PLP, in which he raised security fears about MPs.
He added: ‘Your response? You went straight from the PLP to address a rally of extreme left who were intimidating individuals leaving Parliament.
‘You addressed them as friends – people who were wearing T-shirts saying ‘eradicate the right wing Blairite vermin’.
‘This, just days after one of our colleagues was brutally murdered for her political views.’
Copeland MP Jamie Reed was among other Labour MPs to slam the message, while Dame Margaret Hodge warned today most of the people at the Corbyn-supporting rally were not even Labour Party members.
John McDonnell was also accused today of ‘instigating’ a wave of intimidation against Labour MPs who have railed against Jeremy Corbyn.
MPs have reported violent threats against them on social media and staff have been left fearing for their safety after protests outside offices, it has been claimed.
Tom Blenkinsop claimed the shadow chancellor was ‘enraging’ a rise in threatening behaviour, which he likened to 1980s Militant-style action.
A noisy and angry protest was called in defence of Mr Corbyn in Parliament Square last night by left-wing activists. The hundreds of demonstrators shouted ‘Tories out, Corbyn in’ as they raged at the attempted coup by Labour MPs
Organisers claimed as many as 4,000 people turned out in Parliament Square for a rally during tonight’s PLP meeting – but other estimates placed the total at around 1,000
The Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP said Ian Murray, who quit as shadow Scottish secretary, had asked the leadership to ‘call the dogs off’ over concerns for the safety of his staff.
But he claimed Mr McDonnell headed to a rally in support of the embattled Labour leader following a fractious meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party to urge them to continue to protest.
‘The leadership immediately went outside and in the case of John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, actually told them to continue to protest outside Labour MPs’ offices and also not to campaign for Labour MPs,’ he told BBC Radio 4’s The World At One programme.
Mr Corbyn faces overwhelming defeat on a no confidence vote by his own MPs tonight just hours after vowing to a rally of hard-left supporters in Parliament Square he would not resign.
The Labour leader has suffered an unprecedented walk out of 51 MPs from his front bench team and has been forced to announce a rag-tag band of replacements to fill his shadow cabinet.
Shadow justice minister Andy Slaughter joined the revolt today and further resignations are expected later.
Mr Corbyn has refused to countenance resigning under any circumstances despite the draining away of what little support he had from mainstream Labour in Parliament.
Last night he addressed a crowd of thousands of people in Parliament Square, some of whom had banners and t-shirts branded ‘eradicate the right wing Blairite vermin’, vowing to fight on.
The developments have prompted new questions about whether Labour is broken and must split – and one former MP today admitted ‘separation and divorce are now inevitable’.
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