So, who are the 'moronic MPs' who nominated Jeremy Corbyn for the Labour leadership contest?
John McTernan said the 35 MPs who put Jeremy Corbyn on the ballot paper should be 'ashamed of themselves' after poll puts him on course to win
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Louise Thomas
Editor
The MPs who allowed Jeremy Corbyn to enter the Labour leadership contest so the party could "have a debate" are morons, according to a former adviser to Tony Blair.
Mr Corbyn, who is on course to become Labour leader according to the first public poll of those eligible to vote, scraped onto the ballot paper by winning the backing of 35 MPs - the minimum number of nominations needed to enter the race.
Some admitted nominating Mr Corbyn to ensure the contest represented the full spectrum of voices in the party and hoped members would dismiss the crazy views of the left in favour of a more mainstream candidate.
But John McTernan, who advised Mr Blair during his time as Prime Minister, blamed them for the "disastrous" poll, which gave Mr Corbyn an astonishing 17 per cent lead over the second-placed candidate, Andy Burnham.
In a blistering attack, Mr McTernan told BBC Two Newsnight: “The moronic MPs who nominated Jeremy Corbyn to ‘have a debate’ need their heads felt. They should be ashamed of themselves. They’re morons.”
So who were the 35 MPs?
- Diane Abbott, MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington
- Rushanara Ali, MP for Bethnal Green and Bow
- Margaret Beckett, MP for Derby South
- Richard Burgon, MP for Leeds East
- Dawn Butler MP, for Brent Central
- Ronnie Campbell, MP for Blyth Valley
- Sarah Champion, MP for Rotherham
- Jo Cox, MP for Batley and Spen
- Neil Coyle, MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark
- Jon Cruddas, MP for Dagenham
- Clive Efford, MP for Eltham
- Frank Field, MP for Birkenhead
- Louise Haigh, MP for Sheffield, Heeley
- Kelvin Hopkins, MP for Luton North
- Rupa Huq, MP for Ealing Central and Acton
- Imran Hussain, MP for Bradford East
- Huw Irranca-Davies, MP for Ogmore
- Sadiq Khan, MP for Tooting
- David Lammy, MP for Tottenham
- Clive Lewis MP, for Norwich South
- Rebecca Long-Bailey, MP for Salford and Eccles
- Gordon Marsden, MP for Blackpool South
- John McDonnell, MP for Hayes and Harlington
- Michael Meacher, MP for Oldham West and Royton
- Grahame Morris, MP for Easington
- Chi Onwurah, MP for Newcastle Upon Tyne Central
- Kate Osamor, MP for Edmonton
- Tulip Siddiq, MP for Hampstead and Kilburn
- Dennis Skinner, MP for Bolsover
- Cat Smith, MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood
- Andrew Smith, MP for Oxford East
- Gareth Thomas, MP for Harrow West
- Emily Thornberry, MP for Islington South and Finsbury
- Jon Trickett, MP for Hemsworth
- Catherine West, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green
Mr McTernan said the damage must be undone by one or two of the three mainstream candidates pulling out of the race to ensure Mr Corbyn does not win and lurch Labour to the left.
“These figures are disastrous for the Labour Party, disastrous. The fact is the other candidates need to decide who is the ABC candidate - the Anyone But Corbyn candidate,” he said.
Attempting to explain why Mr Corbyn was performing so well with Labour party members, he gave a straight-forward answer: "Political parties are full of suicidally inclined activists and clearly some Labour members are suicidally inclined."
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