LABOUR’S shadow health secretary has been forced to apologise after he was heard calling Jeremy Corbyn “senile” in the House of Commons.
Wes Streeting, often cited as a favourite to succeed Keir Starmer at the head of UK Labour, was caught taking a jibe at his party’s former leader at Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) on Wednesday.
Jeremy Corbyn, who now sits as an independent MP, tried to raise a point of order in the Commons after PMQs – which saw Prime Minister Rishi Sunak mention him in an attack line for the third week running.
Corbyn was initially rebuked by the Speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, before trying again to raise his point.
When Hoyle asked what Corbyn was saying, which was difficult to hear over the din of MPs, Streeting chimed in.
"He's gone senile,” the Labout frontbencher said.
Jeremy Corbyn tries to raise a point of order in the House, after Rishi Sunak mentioned him again during #PMQs. Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting can be heard saying "he's gone senile". pic.twitter.com/V7MdiOf8Su
— PoliticsJOE (@PoliticsJOE_UK) November 9, 2022
The comment was derided on social media. Commentator Owen Jones, a Labour supporter, called the comment “gross”.
In response, Streeting said it had been “in jest”, but added that he had apologised to Corbyn.
The shadow health secretary wrote: “In jest, but I accept in poor taste. I’ve dropped Jeremy a note directly to apologise for any offence caused.”
Jones responded: “You're the Shadow Health Secretary and you're making jokes about dementia on the floor of the House of Commons! What are you doing!”
Apparently in response to Streeting, although there was no reference made, Corbyn wrote on Twitter on Wednesday: “Dementia is the leading cause of death in the UK. By 2025, over 1 million people will be suffering from the disease. The impact on loved ones is unquantifiable.
“Now, more than ever, we need a National Care Service — publicly funded and free for all those who need it.”
SNP MP John Nicolson said it was wrong to use the word senile as an insult, adding: "As someone whose mum had dementia I'm keen that mental health terms are excised from the list of words used as insults."
