In a move that’s bound to confuse raging Corbynites, John McDonnell has poured praise on Keir Starmer’s leadership of the Labour Party, saying his response to Coronavirus has been “exactly right”, as well as extolling the new leader’s socialist virtues. Not the endorsement Team Starmer will have been hoping for…

Speaking to Times Radio, the former Shadow Chancellor said:

“Keir’s got this exactly right. He’s approached the government in a constructive way…”

”He’s taking this government on. What’s interesting is the government itself has had to adopt many of the policies – not just the ones we advocated for in the last general election, the investment etc – but also the policies that we put to them in March to cope with this COVID crisis.”

Those stolen policies presumably include this morning’s record-breaking £2 trillion debt figures…

McDonnell also told Times Radio, “Keir has made it clear he’s a socialist. His expressions in the past and throughout – of course he’s a socialist”. A very different attitude to when Guido caught John describing Starmer’s election as “defeatism” by the party membership…