Conservative MPs lambasted House speaker John Bercow by stating he refused to acknowledge Mr. Corbyn's muttered remarks where he allegedly called UK prime minister Theresa May a "stupid woman".
Rt. Hon Sir Patrick McLoughlin of Derbyshire Dales launched the first strike over the noise of Tory hecklers, stating that when Mr. Corbyn had sat down "he muttered words that were quite clearly visible, accusing the Prime Minister of being a 'stupid woman'."
Speaker Bercow responded: "As he rightly surmised at the start of it, I saw no such thing, I'm not making an allegation, and I'm not denying or seeking to refute that of [Sir McLoughlin]."
"I cannot be expected to pronounce upon that which I did not see and that which was not witnessed by my advisors and which I did not hear," Mr. Bercow said, adding that it was incumbent upon all MPs to "operate in accordance with its best conventions" and that any MPs failing to do so would have "a responsibility to apologise".
Commons leader Andrea Leadsom then turned on the Speaker, stating that he also refused to apologise for remarks in May.
"Why is it that when an opposition member found that you had called me a stupid woman, you did not apologise in this chamber?"
Mr. Bercow responded, stating that the matter had already been resolved in previous sessions and that his comments had been fully explained.
How Has the Labour Party Responded?
A spokesperson for Jeremy Corbyn stated that the opposition leader “did not call [Theresa May] a stupid woman, and so I don’t think there’s any basis for an apology,” adding that he said ‘stupid people’ instead.
“I think it was referring to the remarks and the exchanges about pantomimes and so on,” the spokesperson said, referring to those who were “failing to address the reality of [Brexit].”
The spokesperson said that Britain was “dealing with a situation where the prime minister has behaved in a reckless and cynical manner by pushing the vote back on her deal which she knows cannot pass parliament, in an attempt to try and force MPs to back her deal.”
When asked why Corbyn had abruptly left Parliament, he said: “As I understood he was leaving the chamber because of the point that was being made,” adding that lip reading was “always open to doubt”.
How Did Social Media Respond?
The Conservative stunt backfired, with many on social media standing up for both Speaker Bercow and Jeremy Corbyn, noting that had the opposition leader made the comments, they were fitting as Mrs. May was delivering the UK into financial and political chaos.