Lara McNeill’s frank thread lists string of issues with Watson’s behaviour
Labour National Executive Committee (NEC) member Lara McNeill has publicly laid into the party’s deputy leader Tom Watson, following Watson’s attempt to attack Labour’s decision to follow its rules and expel former Blair spin-doctor Alastair Campbell.
Campbell had told national broadcasters that he had voted for the LibDems in last week’s EU elections and had encouraged voters to support other parties than Labour – an automatic expulsion offence under Labour rules.
Watson went to the media to describe the decision as ‘spiteful’ and also called for an ‘amnesty’ for Labour members who voted for other parties last week – even though Labour’s press office had made it very clear that Campbell’s vote was not the issue and that he was expelled for broadcasting it and encouraging others to cast their vote elsewhere.
McNeill’s short Twitter thread laid into not only Watson’s ‘deliberate’ misrepresentation of Labour’s rules, but also his obstructive hypocrisy when his ‘mates’ break the party’s rules – and the consequent inappropriateness of Watson’s well-publicised attempts to commandeer Labour’s disciplinary processes.
It was an astonishingly frank series of comments:
McNeill’s honesty and bravery were praised by readers and activists:
Ms McNeill also spoke directly to the deliberately misleading media representation of interference in disciplinary issues, which the media has attributed to party leader Jeremy Corbyn and his staff or the party’s general secretary Jennie Formby:
Tom Watson is also the target of huge criticism from Labour members, thousands of whom have signed an open letter to the NEC asking it to demand the ‘shockingly unfit’ Watson’s resignation as deputy leader. He has previously been similarly criticised both by other NEC members and by Shadow Cabinet colleagues for his ‘foul’, ‘appalling’ and obstructive behaviour, including the solicitation of data breaches.
Tom Watson has been contacted for comment.
SKWAWKBOX view:
Bravo Lara McNeill. It had to be said. Will other NEC members add their voices?
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