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Emily Thornberry denies 'sneering' at Brexit voters

Denial: Emily Thornberry said she was not "sneering" at Brexit voters: PA
Denial: Emily Thornberry said she was not "sneering" at Brexit voters: PA

Labour leadership candidate Emily Thornberry has denied "sneering" at Brexit voters during a grilling on the BBC's Andrew Neil Show.

The shadow foreign secretary was confronted with a video in which she appears to laugh at a colleague's claim that anyone who does not hate Brexit has "something wrong" with them.

In the video, Labour MP Dawn Butler remarks that "if anyone doesn't hate Brexit, even if you voted for it, there's something wrong with you because Brexit has not been good for the country".

Ms Thornberry, who is seen as trailing in the contest to succeed Jeremy Corbyn, said her response was because she was "quite shocked" at Ms Butler's "most extraordinary" remarks, adding: "I was not sneering."

She said Labour can win back voters by "listening to people" and certainly not by looking down on them, and took aim at Boris Johnson for an historic article criticising working class men.

"When they say that I sneer at people they forget who I am and where I come from," Ms Thornberry said.

"It is the Prime Minister who has said that blue collar workers like my brother, who is a builder, are largely unemployed, have low self esteem and who are drunk.

"He's talking about my brother. No one says that Boris Johnson sneers at people. Somebody like me who comes in the end from a council estate and from a single parent background - I do not sneer at people, I listen to people."

Ms Thornberry has been accused by former Labour MP Caroline Flint, who lost her seat in the disastrous general election for the party, of labelling Leave voters as "stupid" following the 2016 referendum.

But the shadow cabinet minister renewed her criticism of Ms Flint for "lying" as she mounts legal action against her.

Ms Thornberry, who was a prominent supporter of holding another Brexit referendum, said she remained "open minded" about free movement from the EU.

And she disagreed with leadership rival Rebecca Long-Bailey's pledge to ensure Labour parliamentary candidates need reselection by constituency parties ahead of each election.

Ms Thornberry is trailing behind Ms Long-Bailey and the other contenders in the polls and the race to get to the next stage by winning sufficient support from unions, affiliated organisations or constituency parties.

But she insisted she will get on to the ballot of members and other supporters, saying "it will be up to the members in the end".

The successor to Mr Corbyn, who led the party to its worst general election defeat since 1935, will be announced on April 4.

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