Why won't Harriet Harman condemn Labour MP’s 'assassinate Thatcher' boast? – Telegraph Blogs

Friday 14 March 2014 | Blog Feed | All feeds

Nile Gardiner



I wrote a piece earlier about the disgraceful remarks by Labour leadership candidate John McDonnell at a party hustings yesterday, and called on Labour to disown them. As I noted, McDonnell declared that if he could return to the 80s he would “assassinate Thatcher”. As LabourList recorded:


McDonnell claims he meant it as a joke, and the assembled trade unionists reportedly thought it was hilarious. I doubt however that the vast majority of the British people see this kind of ugly, menacing threat against an 84-year old three-term prime minister as being in any way funny. It is vicious language of the lowest common denominator that would shame even the worst preacher of hate.

There is nothing amusing at all about reckless talk of assassination in an age of global terrorism, as former Labour ministers would attest. Yet, the response from Labour’s leadership has been meek and cowardly, no doubt for fear of offending the still powerful left-wing of the party, including the unions that help bankroll it.  

If a Conservative minister had made these remarks about a former Labour prime minister, you can be sure the calls for resignation from the Left would be thunderous, and his or her head would quickly roll. And across the Atlantic, in the United States, talk of assassination against a former president would lead not only to massive public outrage, but almost certainly a visit from the law as well.

Why has acting Labour leader Harriet Harman not spoken out against these vile comments and disowned them on behalf of her party? Why have top leadership candidates such as David Miliband, Ed Miliband and Ed Balls not rejected them? In fact, why has not a single Labour official publicly denounced the remarks?

My colleague Sally McNamara issued a direct challenge to over two dozen Labour MPs and shadow ministers to reject McDonnell’s language. As of writing, only one brave MP, Tom Harris of Glasgow South, had done so. I hope many more will do the same, and hold McDonnell to account for his words of hate.

The Labour leadership's deafening silence is a damning indictment of the party’s clear lack of moral clarity. If its leaders cannot even bring themselves to separate the party from assassination language used against a former British Prime Minister, how can they expect to lead the country again? And as for John McDonnell, he should hold his head in shame and issue an unequivocal apology to one of the greatest figures of our time, who has selflessly dedicated her life to serving her country.

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