The explosive scenes last night weren’t confined to Committee Room 14. Earlier in the evening, as Labour MPs flocked to Strangers’ to preemptively toast the result, former Shadow Minister for Security Conor McGinn almost caused a full-scale evacuation after leaving his bag unattended on the corner of the Terrace and sending staff into meltdown. A dozen or so panicked security officers rushed to the scene, fanning away punters as they desperately tried to identify the rucksack’s owner. One member of security even warned the police would soon be on the way…
Eventually a red-faced McGinn owned up, retrieving the bag to jeers from fellow MPs and staffers. Crisis averted, just about. All it took was the threat of an evacuation and a bomb squad to jolt him to his senses. McGinn was shuffled out of the shadow security brief in December 2021. Wonder why…
Labour MP, Conor McGinn, has added a unique requirement on his current researcher job advert – that the candidate should have a sense of humour. Everyone in politics needs one at the moment to cope…
McGinn also states the hired candidate should sympathise with the aims of the Labour Party – ironically the biggest joke of all…
Theresa May congratulates 32-year-old Conor McGinn on becoming a grandfather #PMQs pic.twitter.com/XgLC1FEr2X
— Nick Hilton (@nickfthilton) November 2, 2016
Plenty of bewilderment among the general public at the beginning of PMQs – let Guido explain.
- At the weekend, Labour MP and Corbyn-loathing former whip Conor McGinn delivered his own baby Neasa Constance.
- Jeremy Corbyn congratulated Conor and Neasa Constance on their happy news.
- Theresa May mistakenly thought Corbyn was talking about the birth of his own granddaughter.
- She publicly shamed Patrick McLoughlin for giving her the dud intel.
And they say PMQs is becoming ever more pointless.
Labour whip Conor McGinn has created some headlines today by accusing Corbyn of threatening to call up his dad. McGinn over-dramatically says this is “bullying”. It’s not really though, is it. “Just wait till your father hears about this” is said by many mothers…
McGinn was fingered a while back as a key anti-Corbyn plotter, despite supposedly serving the leader as an opposition whip. This errant WhatsApp message catches McGinn red-handed plotting against Jez with Labour MPs:
In writing, an opposition whip whipping his backbenchers to ‘keep up the pressure on JC’. A punchy Labour insider says:
“Calamity Conor couldn’t even use WhatsApp when he was pretending not to be playing both sides, and his latest nonsense about his dad just makes him look like a clown.”
More than worthy of a telling off…
Opponents of Owen Smith complain that the Labour whips office has intervened to ensure he beats Angela Eagle’s number of nominations. Smith was spotted deep in discussion with whip and top schemer Conor McGinn yesterday – the pair are close and McGinn’s wife used to work for Smith as an aide. McGinn, who was accused of orchestrating Shadow Cabinet resignations, is incidentally very close to Tom Watson…
Who is helping run Smith’s operation? Heidi Alexander and Lucy Powell have been canvassing on his behalf, and Vernon Coaker has been talking him up on the terrace. Smith has the backing of the “old right” of the party, which is ironic given he used to be a Blairite and is now positioning himself as a competent version of Corbyn. Smith’s official line is that he only decided in the last few days that he had to stand. This has surprised Labour MPs who received phone calls six months ago asking if they would support his bid. It’s a slick operation for “oily” Smith…
According to Corbynista Labour sources, Tom Watson is the coup leader and the plan is currently that there will be a vote of no confidence and then Lisa Nandy will eventually take over. She is said to have Watson’s backing. Labour whip Conor McGinn, who is close to Watson and hates Corbyn, is choreographing resignations. Labour MPs are calling colleagues canvassing support for Nandy. That is the plan from one faction of the plotters: for Nandy to ultimately take over from Corbyn…
UPDATE: Sam Coates from the Times reckons there are three separate coup groups, all fighting among themselves as to who takes over.
UPDATE II: Lisa Nandy has now resigned and said Watson should take over as caretaker leader.
