By Lucy Caulkett
Jeremy Corbyn called Theresa May a “stupid woman” after their final exchanges during prime minister’s questions, sparking a row in the Commons.
The vocal Labour leader clearly uttered the insult in a response to May’s ridicule of him, and it was caught on camera after the prime minister’s question.The prime minister was mocking Mr Corbyn during heated exchanges, telling him to “look behind you” when he was caught on camera muttering words.
He has denied the allegation, but an expert in alliteration. Jaymie Holland, also a writer and member of this publication’s thinktank team is adamant Corbyn actually called May a stupid woman. Holland said:
”The way his mouth is poised along with how he keeps eye contact on May while shaking his head means there is no doubt in my mind that he uttered “stupid woman”. After we see him mutter “stupid”, his lower lip buckles outward. Try saying “people” and then say “woman” – which word do your lips push outward on? He could not possibly have said “people” like he claims.
Holland is not a lip reader, but studied speech in English at Queen Mary University, which loosely covered things such as plosives,(voiceless patterns of speech) fricatives,(consonant sounds in phoenetics) etc. The word woman involved pushing the lips outward in a circular shape and is called the labio velar-approximant – the shape Corbyn clearly makes with his mouth when uttering “woman”.
Other team members of The Eye Of Media.Com who have studied the tape are unanimous in our judgement that he did in fact call her a stupid woman. The tape was played several times in front of six members of our team, whilst a further five members separately watched the tape.An extra four individuals from our thinktank team, some of whom also work for other organisations , all agreed that Corbyn referred to her as a stupid woman.
Corbyn just stop denying the obvious, and just apologize for his unacceptable conduct. A leader must be prepared to accept when they have made an error.
A number of Conservative MPs, including the Commons leader, Andrea Leadsom, the Conservative vice-chairman Paul Scully, and the former Tory chair Patrick McLoughlin have made a serious issue of the matter with May. McLoughlin particularly asked the Speaker, John Bercow, to censure Corbyn.
“You may not have seen, during the exchanges during prime minister’s questions, that when the leader of the opposition sat down, he muttered words which were quite clearly visible, accusing the prime minister of being a ‘stupid woman’. Would it not be appropriate for him to come back in the chamber and apologise?”
Bercow said he would look at the footage after statements by ministers had concluded, and would address the matter with Corbyn if necessary when he returns to the House of Commons if he needed to make a finding against him.
A Labour spokesman denied Corbyn made a sexist remark, saying Corbyn had said “stupid people”, not stupid woman. However, Labour is expected to be defensive about such an allegation, which would present their leader very badly for such an arrogant comment. May is entitled to her opinion, and just because people are unhappy with her handling of Brexit negotiations does not justify the making of a sexist remark
Disappointed MPs shouted “Shame!” and “Disgrace!” but the Speaker said he had not witnessed the alleged comments
“It is incumbent on all members of this house to operate in accordance with its best conventions and to follow the conventions and courtesies,” Bercow said. “If a member has failed to do so, that member has a responsibility to apologise; he [McLoughlin’] is quite right to say that.“What he cannot, and I’m sure does not, expect me to do is to pronounce a verdict in a circumstance which I did not witness, either in terms of seeing anything, or of hearing anything, and neither did my advisers.”