BY BEN KERRIGAN
It has emerged today that new Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, had an affair with Diane Abbott in the 70’s and even went on a motorbike tour with her to East Germany. The news was revealed in The Daily Telegraph today, after sources close to the tabloid leaked the information presumably to dampen the sudden surge in credibility the new leader has managed to gather following after much scepticism expressed by highly placed politicians about his suitability for the post had been circulated in the media. It is strange that the revelation did not on stream during his campaign when it would have had more damaging impact on his image. It is the break of his first marriage to Jane Chapman.
The spat comes after reports that Mr Corbyn also had a relationship with another Labour MP in the 1980s when both were members of parliament. Mr Corbyn’s spokesman has refused to comment about the news, and attempts by eye of media to obtain a response from the Labour press team have so far been in vain. However, reliable sources say the relationship was well known in their common circles and there will be no statements denying this fact.
The damaging reports come just days into Mr Corbyn’s leadership of the party, and may raise questions as to whether this past relationship may have influenced his decision to position her highly in his Cabinet, even though it goes without saying that Ms Abbott is a very experienced Politician with plenty of Savvy.
This news adds to current pressure on the new leader to make clear his position to campaign for Britain to stay in Europe, following his comment in July not to rule out campaigning for an EU exit, on the grounds that the EU maintains tax havens and tax evasions posts and also trades away workers rights. Corbyn is known for campaigning for workers and under trodden groups in general, and has always had a lot of support from the Trade Unions in general. Their support was very instrumental to his election for the leadership post, though there were other factors that also played key contributory roles. Earlier in the week, popular MP, Chuka Umunna made it clear he could not envisage any circumstance under which he would vote against staying in the EU, despite the Parliamentary principle of collective responsibility that require all MP’s to unite in their line of policy on such issues.
A prime Minister is essentially a reliable leader who abides by the principles presented to the public, and the family unit has always been important pillar of society. It doesn’t look good for the Prime Ministerial ambitions of Corbyn if he can’t even get his own house in order. How can a leader set example to the electorate in areas of morality and stability, if he has gone from one woman to the other after splitting with his wife? Corbyn showed remarkable acumen in his first showing in Parliament a couple of days ago, representing the voice of the public very well, and showing surprise signs that he may in fact be a legitimate threat to the Conservative Party after Ed Milliband’s flop at the last elections. Unfortunately, this new revelation is damaging to a reputation that was still in the building process. Already, a lot of fuss is being made as to whether he will kneel before the Queen in the traditional way, given his known stance against the Monarchy. This is not even a real issue as he will have no choice but to do so, if he wants to last long in this job. A clever man with a seemingly good heart, the Labour veteran appears to have a lot to offer, and many ordinary members of the public have already been tipping him to be capable of pulling off an upset at the next elections. But his suitability for the PM role is already going badly wrong, let’s just hope he can turn the tides before it is far too late.
