THE FALLOUT from Labour’s disastrous election continues, with threats of strike action and law suits.
Yesterday morning, Emily Thornberry confirmed she had contacted lawyers over remarks made by former colleague Caroline Flint.
In an interview on Sunday, Flint, who was one of 60 Labour MPs to lose their seats last week, accused the shadow foreign secretary of labelling Leave voters “stupid” .
Thornberry said Flint was guilty of spreading the “most extraordinary lies”.
Speaking on Sky News’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme, Flint claimed Thornberry had told a colleague after the 2016 EU referendum, “I’m glad my constituents aren’t as stupid as yours”.
The Islington South and Finsbury MP, speaking on Sky News on Monday, said she had asked Flint to rescind the comment before she started legal action.
“One of my former colleagues came out and said the most extraordinary lies about me,” Thornberry said.
“I’ve contacted her and I’ve said to her, ‘Please withdraw, I will give you until the end of the day’ and she hasn’t.
“So I’ve had to go to solicitors. I mean, people can slag me off - so long as it is true - I’ll take it on the chin.
“But they can’t make up shit about me and, if they do, I have to take it to the courts.”
Labour's Caroline Flint lost her seat as MP for Don Valley and has accussed the Shadow foreign secretary of branding Leave voters 'stupid'
Last week, the party won just 202 seats, far behind the Tories.
Jeremy Corbyn has said he will not lead the party into the next election.
Over the weekend it was announced that the race to replace him as leader will kick off in January, with a new chief not due to be in place until the end of March.
The lengthy process has led to clashes. Staff in Labour HQ are reportedly furious that some of his closest allies, including communications director Seumas Milne and Karie Murphy who oversaw the general election campaign, will still in be place for the next three and a half months.
According to Buzzfeed, Labour workers are preparing a motion to put to a meeting of a GMB branch in January seeking to bring industrial action on two grounds; “institutional racism and mismanagement of the organisation that costing hardworking staff their jobs.”
The motion will be tabled “if we go back in January and the main protagonists are still there,” one organiser told BuzzFeed News.
“Over the last four years we’ve seen a culture develop of bullying, and intimidation and hatred, where staff have openly contemplated ending their own lives due to the cover up of institutional racism,” the staffer said.
“The fact that people who oversaw this culture and also devised the strategy that delivered the worst election defeat in 35 years have ended up hanging onto their jobs is not only embarrassing but also disgraceful.
“Any self-respecting trade unionist will support that staff in the Labour Party have to stand up and make their voices heard.”
READ MORE: Scottish independence backed by Scottish Labour's Alison Evison
Meanwhile, another shadow cabinet member used a radio interview to blame the BBC for the party’s defeat.
Speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme, Shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald said: “Don’t get me started on the media, Justin. I’m very worried about our public service broadcaster.”
“Are you saying that the BBC was in part responsible for Mr Corbyn’s loss?” host Justin Webb asked.
McDonald replied: “I am saying that they played a part. I’m really worried about the drift. You’ve seen the catalogue of criticisms that we’re making.
“We’ve accepted that the print media are rained against us, but my goodness me. I’m going to look at us.
“We’re the important part here. We got this wrong, but if the BBC are going to hold themselves out as somehow having conducted themselves in an impartial manner, I think they’ve really got to have a look in the mirror. We’ve got a lot to say about this.”
Asked if the BBC “consciously” played a part, McDonald replied: “Consciously, yes.”
Shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey is currently the favourite to replace Corbyn.
Other names being mooted include Lisa Nandy, Jess Phillips, Angela Rayner, Keir Starmer, Yvette Cooper and Thornberry.
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