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Laborer's Emily Thornberry accuses former MP Caroline Flint of 'making up s ***' about her – Sky News, Sky.com

Laborer's Emily Thornberry accuses former MP Caroline Flint of 'making up s ***' about her – Sky News, Sky.com


             

A senior Labor frontbencher has launched legal action against a former parliamentary colleague, accusing her of “making up s ***” about her in a television interview.

(Caroline Flintclaimed in a Sky News interviewon Sunday that Emily Thornberry once said to a fellow MP that she was “glad my constituents aren’t as stupid as yours “.

Ms Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary andpotential leadership contender, Labeled the claim a “total and utter lie” and gave Ms Flint, the former MP for Don Valley, until the end of the day to withdraw the allegation.

  

      Image:        Caroline Flint lost her seat in Thursday’s general election      

Speaking on Monday, Ms Thornberry said: “I’ve contacted her and I’ve said to her, please withdraw, I’ll give you until the end of the day. And she hasn’t. So I ‘ ve had to go to solicitors.

“People can slag me off, as long as it’s true, I can take it on the chin. But they can’t make up s *** about me – and if they do, I have to take it to the courts. “

Ms Thornberry added: “It’s ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous. I have better things to think about than people going on television and making up s ***.”

“I have no idea what’s in her head.

“All I can tell you is that you can’t go on national television and make up s *** and not expect to be taken to the courts and that’s what I’m afraid I’m having to do. “

The row comes as the party digests its defeat in last week’s

general election- Labour’s worst performance since the 1930 s.

The election saw many seats in the North and the Midlands – the party’s traditional base of support – elect a Conservative MP for the first time in decades.

Jeremy Corbyn has said he will step down as leader in the wake of the result.

                        

                

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The contest to replace him will officially start on 7 January, with a successor in place by the end of March.

Asked if she would be running, Ms Thornberry said her focus was on Monday’s funeral of Frank Dobson, the party’s former health secretary, who died last month.

Another potential contender is Sir Keir Starmer, the party’s Brexit spokesman.

He did not rule out a leadership bid, saying: “This is a moment for reflection. We’re talking to lots of colleagues, the competition does not open until early next year.”

Wigan MP Lisa Nandy has said she is “seriously thinking” about running to succeed Mr Corbyn, while shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey, shadow education secretary Angela Rayner, and Birmingham Yardley MP Jess Phillips could also enter the contest.

Labor is also due to elect a new deputy leader following Tom Watson’s decision not to stand for re-election.

(Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon has told Sky News he is considering a bid for the deputy leadership role in tandem with Ms Long-Bailey’s bid for leader.

    

                      

                        

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Corbyn: Labor ‘came up short’ in election

                

As well as the jostling to replace Mr Corbyn as leader, debate continues to rage in the party as to why it lost the election.

While much of the focus has been on Labor’s promise to renegotiate Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal and then put it to a referendum, many senior figures in the party have criticized the media coverage Labor received.

Shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald has accused the BBC of “consciously” playing a role in Labor’s defeat, during an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today program.

    

                      

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****************************** Lifelong Labor voters explain why they switched                 

Presenter Justin Webb asked Mr McDonald about the party’s performance and whether Mr Corbyn played a part in that.

He said: “Don’t get me started on the media, Justin. I ‘m very worried about our public service broadcaster. “

” Are you saying that the BBC was in part responsible for Mr Corbyn’s loss? ” Mr Webb asked.

    

                      

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The rise and fall of Jeremy Corbyn                 

Mr McDonald replied: “I am saying that they played a part. I’m really worried about the drift. You’ve seen the catalog of criticisms that we’re making.

“We’ve accepted that the print media are rained against us, but my goodness me. I’m going to look at us.

“We’re the important part here.

” We got this wrong, but if the BBC are going to hold themselves out as somehow having conducted themselves in an impartial manner, I think they’ve really got to have a look in the mirror.

:: Listen to Sophy Ridge on Sunday on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, (Spotify, (Spreaker)

“We’ve got a lot to say about this.”

Asked if the BBC “consciously “played a part, the shadow minister replied:” Consciously, yes. “

MP Stephen Kinnock said there were three reasons for Labor’s defeat -” weak and incompetent leadership “; the party’s decision to back a second referendum, which “massively alienated voters in our Leave-voting heartlands”; and a manifesto “which was more like a Christmas wish list”.

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