JEREMY Corbyn has denied calling Theresa May a “stupid woman” during Prime Minister’s Questions.
He was asked to make a statement to MPs after facing Tory calls to apologise for the alleged insult.
Corbyn said he was “opposed to the use of sexist and misogynist language in any form” and insisted he had actually said “stupid people”.
Commons Speaker John Bercow said he had not seen the alleged incident and all MPs had to be taken at their word.
But Conservative MPs said they did not believe Corbyn’s explanation and repeated calls for an apology from him.
Corbyn told the Commons: “During Prime Minister’s question time today, I referred to those who I believe were seeking to turn a debate about the national crisis facing our country into a pantomime as ‘stupid people’.”
He added: “Mr Speaker I did not use the words ‘stupid woman’ about the Prime Minister or anyone else.”
Following the point of order being raised Bercow said if an MP failed to follow the conventions of the House then they have a responsibility to apologise. His comment led Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom to make her own point of order, asking Bercow: “If individuals who are found to have made unwelcome remarks should apologise, why it is that when an opposition member found that you had called me a ‘stupid woman’, you did not apologise in this chamber?”
Bercow said he had dealt with the point months ago and Leadsom had not raised the issue again.
The SNP’s Joanna Cherry tweeted the scenes were the Commons “at its obnoxious worst”, while Stewart McDonald tweeted: “If Corbyn did say the PM was a ‘stupid woman’ then yes, it’s a disgrace and he should apologise. Am I to believe the hoards of male Tory MPs – some the most obnoxious people I’ve ever come across – feigning outrage are being sincere? No.”
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