Owen Smith, whose opponent is a lesbian woman with no children, tells Sky News:

“I’m glad you think I’m normal. I am normal. I grew up in a normal household. I’ve got a wife and three children. My wife is a primary school teacher.”

His spinner then made it even worse, telling the Standard:

“He was just trying to say that he is an ordinary person, proud to live and represent his own community* in Parliament.”

Does that mean Angela Eagle isn’t “normal” or “ordinary“?

I’m sure it’s not intended that way, but this comes across (to me at least) as a tad homophobic? https://t.co/VPyfnKYBxi

— James Ball (@jamesrbuk) July 18, 2016

Am I being overly sensitive? Feel like saying you’re ‘normal’ in context of your current opponent being a childless gay woman is a bit :/

— Marie Le Conte (@youngvulgarian) July 18, 2016

No, it’s much much worse. Imagine @LGBTLabour might want to have a word. “I’m normal.” FFS https://t.co/JS0Wb9hgow

— Tony Grew (@ayestotheright) July 18, 2016

Andrea Leadsom’s comments on motherhood were less inflammatory and did not have anything like the bombshell word “normal”…

*Is that the one in the Surrey stockbroker belt?