April 2017 article reveals backdrop to text messages revealed by new book
‘Abusive’ texts sent by London MP Neil Coyle to then-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn have been revealed by a new book.
Coyle’s emails vary wildly, with some castigating Corbyn and others inviting him for a drink, then swinging to claiming Corbyn was a disaster on the doorstep with local voters. Some of these messages claiming Corbyn’s unpopularity were sent just before the 2017 general election campaign in which the ‘Corbyn surge’ destroyed Theresa May’s majority.
The article below was published in April 2017, the day before the general election was called, and provides a backdrop to Coyle’s texts.
Coyle’s investigation by Labour goes far beyond one bullying email
A very short while ago, Progress MP Neil Coyle appeared on Sky News to defend himself over his reporting by Jeremy Corbyn’s office – not by Corbyn himself – to the Labour Whips. He also appeared in yesterday’s Sun on Sunday with what appears to be a pre-emptive attack on Labour front-benchers over a supposed lack of parliamentary questions – and today in another right-wing rag, the Daily Mail, claiming he won’t be ‘intimidated’:
Mr Coyle should be better able to recognise ‘intimidation’. He has a track record for publicly attacking Labour staff and colleagues, for example his weight jibe on Twitter against Shadow Cabinet member Richard Burgon – and that Sun article, claiming Labour front-benchers are not doing their job properly:
This is not an isolated incident. Coyle’s behaviour on Twitter recently has deteriorated and he has been running to the Sun with increasing frequency:
Coyle has not been referred to the Whips for discipline for attacking Jeremy Corbyn. Among Labour right-wingers, that’s ‘ten a penny’ stuff and nobody else has been reported.
A list of complaints
But Coyle’s troubles go a long way beyond his abuse toward Labour staff. In a string of incidents, according to a senior Labour source:
- Coyle is the subject of a formal complaint about his alleged treatment of a Labour staff member at the PLP (parliamentary Labour party) meeting following the Copeland and Stoke by-elections
- he is the subject of a formal complaint about alleged public bullying of a recently-appointed Labour staff member on social media
- Coyle is the subject of a formal complaint regarding alleged public bullying of a recently-departed member of staff
- he is under the spotlight for sending abusive emails to three members of the Shadow Cabinet – and then promptly leaking them to journalists
- Coyle faces scrutiny for using social media to attempt to body-shame a parliamentary colleague
At least one of the complaints by staff has been referred to lawyers.
Among the most damning aspects of Coyle’s behaviour is that he gave his article to the Sun, and spoke to Sky, accusing the leader’s team of poor performance when he already knew well over two weeks ago that the criticisms by journalists that he has used as the basis for his comments were not about Corbyn’s team but rather about the official Labour media team, which does not report to the Labour leader.
The SKWAWKBOX has seen emails that confirm Coyle was reminded on 31 March that Marie le Conte and other journalists had clarified their original Twitter comments to make plain that they were not about Corbyn’s team.
All of this is on top of criticism for offering quotes to the worst of the Murdoch press to gain attention for himself by attacking the Shadow Cabinet. In one case, a Shadow Cabinet member was attacked even though she had only briefly stood in for a colleague who was receiving serious medical treatment.
A fuller understanding of the context of Mr Coyle’s behaviour does not suggest a man ‘refusing to be intimidated’ by means of an unfair complaint.
Rather it suggests a man with an intimidation habit and a lack of concern for or control over his behaviour, even when he is the object of multiple formal complaints and a threat of legal action. One for whom staff members and colleagues alike are fair game for even comments known to be inaccurate – and who is ready to run to the worst of the right-wing media to justify his behaviour when it comes home to roost.
The SKWAWKBOX is provided free of charge but depends on the support of its readers to be viable. If you can afford to, please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal or here to set up a monthly donation via GoCardless (SKWAWKBOX will contact you to confirm the GoCardless amount). Thanks for your solidarity so SKWAWKBOX can keep bringing you information the Establishment would prefer you not to know about.
If you wish to republish this post for non-commercial use, you are welcome to do so – see here for more.
Surprised??? Could have been dealt with ages ago. Check my earliest posts here to this one. Nuf said.
And would you believe it, signpost gets in first with a putdown of Jeremy Corbyn, as in dozens and dozens of ‘comments’ he’s posted on here in the past year or so, and yet he would have readers believe that he is – and has been all along since he started posting on here – a left-wing Jeremy Corbyn supporter. And how on EARTH skwawkbox can let someone who invents things so as to paint Jeremy in a bad light by comparison – as signpost did about five or six months ago – continue to post on here is beyond me. And not only THAT, but when I queried signpost about his claim (which I knew was false), he then denied that he’d said it (even though it was there in black and white) AND accused me of having fabricated it AND then said that I needed help. Astonishing! Yes, being a paid shill he would no doubt continue to post in another guise, but ‘signpost’ should have been barred from posting on here permanently for doing that.
PS And as it says in the above article, in effect, Jeremy reported Coyle to the Chief Whip for disciplinary action for his harrassment, and given that taking disciplinary action, or NOT, was not in Jeremy’s hands, then needless to say he was powerless to do anything about it. And signpost knows this of course! And the MSM ‘report’ it NOT as Coyle harrassing and abusing people, but as Jeremy trying to intimidate HIM by reporting him – ie they turn and twist everything on its head so as to make it appear the very opposite of what it actually is, and for the obvious reason.
You really think Corbyn is above criticism for the way he failed to deal with this little shit Coyle and the anti Semitism nonsense then Allan.You really are a silly man.
Says one of the all-day every-day paid shills that regularly fake the Likes!
So tell me John, what are you doing posting on a Jeremy Corbyn-supporting website day after day after day if you think and believe that he is weak and cowardly etc? And how long is it now that you’ve felt that way about him?
It’s NOT criticism, it’s black propaganda lies that you and you fascist shill buddies have repeated dozens and dozens and dozens of times on here, along with the other related falsehood about JC throwing people under the bus. If anyone REALLY thought that about Jeremy they would despise him……. Oh, right, but THAT’s why you and your buddies keep repeating these things over and over again on here so as have readers of SB think badly of him. Criticism my arse!
Allan – When did Jeremy become a deity?
80/90% SABOTAGING Parasite Infestation really slowed or disappeared the REAL and SERIOUS issues, BUT ‘if someone farted as they walked past a New-Labour Party TORY MP they were out’ BUT ONLY IF THEY WERE OF THE ~20% DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS!
If they were 80/90% Neoconservative “Centrist” New-Labour TORY Party they could shit on their head and it would be the newest hair treatment OR Simply made to disappear! If they did it to a Democratic Socialist MP it NEVER HAPPENED and if THE TRUTH comes out the doer becomes the VICTIM!
Gets a MASSIVE Payout Courtesy of Keith ‘LOOPHOLES’ Starmer!
Coyle – got a grid on him like a well-slapped arse, the entitled, embittered twunt.
Just WHAT is the problem with them centrists? Every one of them look like if they were to put a crack in their faces their arses’d get jealous.
I just did a search to find the Daily Mail article referenced in the above article and came across the following (from last week) in the list of results:
Brexiteer shames Labour MP after foul-mouthed rant – ‘Come to Ashfield and say that!’
A CONSERVATIVE MP has written to Labour’s Neil Coyle following a foul-mouthed Twitter rant branding Brexiteers “fat old racists”.
Ashfield MP Lee Anderson described Mr Coyle’s outburst, which he has since deleted, as “outrageous and disgusting”. In a letter to the Labour MP shared on Facebook, he invited him to visit his Ashfield constituency and meet local Brexit voters to “explain his insults in person to them”.
Mr Anderson said: “I was disappointed to read your recent comments directed at Brexiteers, labelling them ‘fat old racists’ and ‘Absolute sh*tbag racist w*nkers’…..”
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1328191/brexit-news-lee-anderson-labour-neil-coyle-twitter
Needless to say, Coyle is a hard-core psychopath (in that he doesn’t try to disguise the fact as many psychopaths DO)!
Stop trying to confuse me when I’m shopping online for Anderson connectors please ;-/
Just a second… WHAAAT? “…official Labour media team, which does not report to the Labour leader.”
“Media team.” Would that be staff, elected officials, MP’s, a mixture, what?
I assume mostly staff, perhaps with an elected official leading?
Saying whetever they want to the media whether the leader agrees or not?
THAT’S RIDICULOUS. Conference VOTED for that?
A system that has been in place for some time,
However I do remember reading an article around the time of the 2017 GE from a group of MSM journalists about the contrast between Southside and Corbyn’s Office. Whilst they heaped praise on Corbyn’s office for their press response they castigated Labour HQ for being unresponsive, unhelpful and obstructive.
It was JC who convinced me to join the labour party and Neil Coyle to leave.