Rory Stewart has criticised Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to throw his predecessor out of the Labour Party.
Speaking to Novara Media, the former Conservative MP and The Rest Is Politics presenter said it was wrong that Jeremy Corbyn can no longer stand for Labour in a constituency that he has been the MP for since 1983.
“I think it’s disgusting he was thrown out of the Labour Party”, Stewart told Ash Sarkar.
“Whatever you think of him (Jeremy Corbyn) is a major figure who represents a very significant part of Labour history and heritage.
“He was the leader of the party.”
Pressed on why he thought Starmer did it, Stewart added:
“I think he is running a very controlling business with about three or four people trying to micro-manage the Labour Party.
“I think he lacks confidence.”
Corbyn was suspended from the Labour Party in October 2020 over his response to the publication of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission’s report into the Labour Party’s handling of anti-Semitism under his leadership.
The Islington North MP was not suspended because of the findings in the report, but due to a press release, which first appeared on Facebook, and in which he stated that anti-Semitism had been ‘dramatically overstated for political reasons.’
The Labour Party said that he had been suspended ‘for a failure to retract’ his words.