MPs and assorted mainstream media hacks have gone absolutely berserk today over footage which, they claim, showed Jeremy Corbyn calling the Prime Minister Theresa May a “stupid woman” during Prime Minister Questions today.
However, when slowed down and analysed, the video footage clearly shows that the Labour leader did not in fact utter these words.
The incident occurred after Theresa May attempted to invoke a pantomime chorus in a response to Mr Corbyn’s final question at today’s PMQs.
Theresa May said:
“They [Labour] said they’d put down a vote of no confidence, then they said they wouldn’t, then they said they would, then they did it but it wasn’t effective.
I know it’s the Christmas season and pantomime season, but what do we see from the Labour front bench and the Right Honourable gentleman?
He’s going to put in a confidence vote – oh yes he is – oh no he isn’t!
I’ve got some news for him. I’ve got some advice for the right honourable gentleman: look behind you! They’re not impressed, and neither is the country.”
Following Theresa May’s response, Jeremy Corbyn was caught by the camera looking around at his fellow MPs and muttering something under his breath:
Immediately following this exchange, accusations began to emerge on social media claiming that Mr Corbyn had called Theresa May a “stupid woman”.
However, when slowed down and analysed, this claim is not backed up by the evidence.
The first thing to notice is that the Labour leader is clearly looking around at the braying Tory MPs opposite, and not at the Prime Minister, when his two words phrase is uttered.
The second thing to notice is that the second word that Mr Corbyn says clearly does not begin with a “W”, but a “P”.
Yes, whilst the Labour leader is looking around at the pantomime chants of his fellow MPs, he is calling them “stupid people”.
Evolve have slowed down the clip to 1/3rd of normal speed so you can see the evidence for yourself:
The Labour leader’s office have also confirmed that Mr Corbyn did indeed say “stupid people” and not “stupid woman”.
Furthermore, forensic lip-reader Jessica Rees studied the video evidence and confirmed to The Mirror that Mr Corbyn said “stupid people” and not “stupid woman”.
The Labour leader has also now confirmed in Parliament that he was indeed referring to MPs who were “seeking to turn a debate about the national crisis facing our country into a pantomime as ‘stupid people‘”:
