The Labour leader’s office making friends with Her Majesty’s press corps once again by dropping a reshuffle at 7pm on a Friday night. “Get on your knees, b*tch” Clive Lewis makes a return as Shadow Treasury Minister under fellow big beast John McDonnell – that will be an interesting dynamic. Lewis resigned last February over his deeply held belief in remaining in the single market (which, presumably, he must have got over). Notable promotions for top Corbynistas including controversial Laura Pidcock (who won’t be friends with Tories) and Dan Carden, who becomes a Shadow Minister at just 27 years of age. Jeremy Corbyn has made appointments tonight as follows:
NEW: Labour reshuffle in full (dropped after hours on a Friday night, nice) pic.twitter.com/bsk1FbRjBC
— Ross Kempsell (@rosskempsell) January 12, 2018
Dent Coad and Jared O’Mara next?
The Labour Party’s investigation into Clive Lewis for sexual harassment has been dropped. Lewis was accused last month of giving a woman’s bottom “a big squeeze” at a party conference event, which he denied. He did not have the whip withdrawn. A Labour party spokesperson said:
“After consideration of statements provided by the complainant and the respondent, the NEC’s sexual harassment panel has ruled that on the balance of the evidence the matter should not be referred to a full hearing of the national constitutional committee. The Labour party will not be commenting further on this case.”
In October Lewis apologised after telling an activist: “get on your knees, b*tch”. Brocialists looking out for each other…
Clive Lewis tells Sky News his accuser is “lying” but goes on to admit “we’re in a different environment, it’s a different situation post-Weinstein and that is sad”. He also says he doesn’t grope women’s bottoms “as a rule” because “that’s not how I roll”. Not sure that is the best defence – Labour still failing to suspend him…
This allegedly happened at the same event where he said “on your knees bitch“ swigging lager from a can of Red Stripe. In the video he seemed pretty reckless that night, alcohol had been taken and he was in a party mood. The woman complainant has a witness…
Clive Lewis had been on the beers at the infamous “on your knees bitch” party at Labour conference. Now a woman has told the Indy he groped her at the same event:
“We had a hug and while we were having a hug he gave my bum a big squeeze. My friend who was there, a fellow [constituency party] delegate…me and him looked at each other and our eyebrows went ‘whoaaa’.” You kind of jump. I didn’t feel grossed out. I definitely laughed. It felt like if you are hugging a mate. I don’t know. It was over familiar. I had never met him before.”
The woman complained to the Labour Party, who again covered up the allegation until tonight. Lewis denies it. Uh oh…
UPDATE: Clive speaks and says “That’s not how I roll”
Clive Speaks: “That’s Not How I Roll” https://t.co/F7RBtc5tZu pic.twitter.com/rEtbTjVtUC
— Guido Fawkes (@GuidoFawkes) November 3, 2017
. @jeremycorbyn comments on @labourlewis pic.twitter.com/Xka7tJerFP
— Andrew Sinclair (@andrewpolitics) October 21, 2017
Corbyn tells the BBC:
“Completely wrong, he should never have said it, completely unacceptable comments. He has apologised, I’ve been in touch with him, he’s been in touch with me to apologise personally to me and it’s a message to everybody that this kind of language is not acceptable in any circumstances, any time.”
Though since Clive has spent the day liking tweets defending him, doesn’t sound like he means his apology.
.@UKLabour MP @labourlewis has apologised for using “unacceptable language” after a video emerged online. pic.twitter.com/ZGnAiThvNv
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) October 20, 2017
This handy video of today’s events is going big on the BBC’s social media streams tonight…
