Independent Media | Campaigning Journalism
Chuka Umunna literally doesn’t know if he’s Labour or Tory
On 4 October, Labour MP Chuka Umunna appeared on BBC‘s This Week. But when asked if he preferred Theresa May or Jeremy Corbyn’s conference speech, his answer showed that he literally doesn’t seem to know if he’s Labour or Tory.
Closer?
Presenter Andrew Neil asked Umunna:
To whom are you closer: Mr Corbyn’s speech, or Mrs May’s speech?
You’d think that the answer from the Labour MP for Streatham would be easy and instant? But no. Umunna replied:
There are elements of Mrs May’s speech that large swathes of the Labour Party would agree with.
Yep. And he didn’t counter this with any reference to Corbyn’s speech. Not at all.
In fact, he went on to agree with fellow guest Michael Portillo and to discuss the two-party system in UK politics. That’s right. No mention of, let alone support for, Corbyn. Although he did find common ground with a train-loving, Conservative ex-MP:
Read on...
"To whom are you closer: Mr Corbyn's speech, or Mrs May's speech?" @afneil asks @ChukaUmunna #bbctw pic.twitter.com/cz3DLSLgGf
— BBC This Week (@bbcthisweek) October 4, 2018
Needless to say, many from Labour’s ‘swathes’ challenged this:
Chuka Umanna can’t say which speech he preferred out of Theresa May’s and Jeremy Corbyn’s…
Doesn’t that just say it all? #BBCTW
— EL4C (@EL4JC) October 4, 2018
No matter what you think, why on earth would you want to publicly associate yourself with that awful speech. Full of lies, hate, "we will do…" empty promises. He is a fool if he thinks it will put him on the winning side and/or help beat Corbyn.
— BestGoLeft #GTTO (@ArtButler8) October 5, 2018
Wow. Andrew Neil just asked Chuka Umunna on #bbctw whose speech he agreed with with most.. May's or Corbyn's. Chuka response 'well there were elements of May's I agreed with'.
Why is he in our party again?— anita K #GTTO (@a_nitak) October 4, 2018
@ChukaUmunna @UKLabour @jeremycorbyn @johnmcdonnellMP @HackneyAbbott
Chuka needs to consider crossing the floor; he would look comfortable in a @Conservatives cabinet? He is absolutely no use to Labour anymore – sadly! pic.twitter.com/cvFuXiBrMZ— ?HUMAN RIGHTS & NEWS? (@RightsPluralist) October 5, 2018
Next level…
Umunna didn’t stop there. When Neil suggested he’d “lost his party for a generation”, he replied:
Maybe, I don’t know… ultimately… whether or not there are new parties and all that, is a question for the leadership.
That is a strange reaction given there are 540,000 Labour members. Since Corbyn was elected as Labour leader in 2015, membership has grown from 190,000. As the Tory membership drops, Labour is still ahead in the polls.
As many on social media pointed out, discussion of a ‘lost party’ was an ‘insult’ too far:
What a ridiculous question. The Labour Party now has the biggest membership of any party in Western Europe. Talking about it like it’s a piece of lost property mislaid by its ‘rightful’ owners is an insult to the millions of suppprters who’ve flocked back to the party since 2015.
— Hicham Yezza (@HichamYezza) October 4, 2018
He also kept referring to Labour as a “social democratic” party. It’s not, and the fact that it’s not is very significant:
Maybe Chuka you should take a look on the back of your membership card.
Social Democrat is NOT a Democratic Socalist.
You're in the wrong party mate. pic.twitter.com/QuWzwf2w3f— Fred Bloggs #JC4PM (@BloggsMr) October 5, 2018
@ChukaUmunna The Labour Party is a Democratic Socialist Party, not Social Democrat. Pack your bags and leave – it’s been emotional. https://t.co/KIISegXdLL
— Ian Jones (@edwinmandella) October 5, 2018
Perhaps this should come as no surprise. Umunna is, after all, the one who claimed ‘moderate’ Labour members were under attack and told Corbyn to “call off the dogs”. But not knowing which party he’s in and supporting May’s speech really is next level.
Cheers, Chuka. With Labour ‘friends’ like this, who needs enemies? And let’s not mention ‘reselection‘. For now…
Get Involved!
– Join The Canary, so we can keep holding the powerful to account.
Featured image via screengrab/Twitter
We need your help to keep speaking the truth
Every story that you have come to us with; each injustice you have asked us to investigate; every campaign we have fought; each of your unheard voices we amplified; we do this for you. We are making a difference on your behalf.
Our fight is your fight. You’ve supported our collective struggle every time you gave us a like; and every time you shared our work across social media. Now we need you to support us with a monthly donation.
We have published nearly 2,000 articles and over 50 films in 2021. And we want to do this and more in 2022 but we don’t have enough money to go on at this pace. So, if you value our work and want us to continue then please join us and be part of The Canary family.
In return, you get:
* Advert free reading experience
* Quarterly group video call with the Editor-in-Chief
* Behind the scenes monthly e-newsletter
* 20% discount in our shop
Almost all of our spending goes to the people who make The Canary’s content. So your contribution directly supports our writers and enables us to continue to do what we do: speaking truth, powered by you. We have weathered many attempts to shut us down and silence our vital opposition to an increasingly fascist government and right-wing mainstream media.
With your help we can continue:
* Holding political and state power to account
* Advocating for the people the system marginalises
* Being a media outlet that upholds the highest standards
* Campaigning on the issues others won’t
* Putting your lives central to everything we do
We are a drop of truth in an ocean of deceit. But we can’t do this without your support. So please, can you help us continue the fight?
Support us