Politics

Boris Johnson calls Corbyn a “chlorinated chicken” and a “great big girl’s blouse” as leaders clash

Boris Johnson labelled Jeremy Corbyn a “chlorinated chicken” as the leaders clashed in Parliament today.

The Prime Minister reacted amid Labour warnings he has “no authority and no majority”.

Mr Corbyn asked for evidence of details that the PM is negotiating for a deal and not trying to “run down the clock”.

He also repeatedly demanded the Government should publish official documents which show the impact of a no-deal Brexit on food and medicine supplies.

Shit-or-bust

But Mr Johnson deployed jokes in a bid to fight back.

He appeared to shout “call an election, you great big girl’s blouse” as Corbyn tore into him.

He also highlighted a shadow minister’s suggestion that Labour’s spending policies were a “shit-or-bust strategy”, adding:

“I say it’s both, Mr Speaker.”

A great deal to fear

Labour leader Corbyn warned people have a “great deal to fear” if Mr Johnson does to the country what he has done to the Conservative Party in the last 24 hours.

This has included the PM withdrawing the whip from 21 of his MPs who rebelled by backing a bid to stop a no-deal Brexit on October 31.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Corbyn said: “Yesterday it was revealed that the Prime Minister’s negotiating strategy is to run down the clock.

“And that the Attorney General told the Prime Minister that his belief that the European Union would drop the backstop was a complete fantasy.

“Are these reports accurate or can the Prime Minister provide the detail of the proposals he’s put forward to the EU?”

Dither and delay

Responding, Mr Johnson said his strategy was to get a deal by the summit on October 17 and “to get Brexit done”.

In his first Prime Minister’s Questions, he added: “What his surrender bill would do is wreck any chance of the talks and we don’t know his strategy at all.

“He’s asking for mobs and Momentum activists to paralyse the traffic in his name.

“What are they supposed to chant? What is the slogan? ‘What do we want? Dither and delay. When do want it? We don’t know’.

“That’s his policy. Can he confirm now that he will allow the people of this country to decide on what he is giving up in their name with a general election on October 15 – or is he frightened?”

Yellowhammer documents

Mr Corbyn probed further about potential increases to food prices in the event of a no-deal Brexit, asking:

“Will the Prime Minister publish the Yellowhammer documents so that people can see which food prices will go up and by how much?”

The PM insisted preparations for no-deal are “very far advanced” before adding:

“I know he’s worried about free trade deals with America but there’s only one chlorinated chicken that I can see in this House and he’s on that bench.”

Avoid scrutiny

Mr Corbyn later said Mr Johnson was “absolutely desperate to avoid scrutiny”.

He went on: “I can see why he’s desperate to avoid scrutiny – he has no plan to get a new deal, no authority and no majority.

“If the Prime Minister does to the country what he has done to his party in the last 24 hours, I think a lot of people have a great deal to fear from his incompetence, his vacillation and his refusal to publish known facts that are known to him about the effects of a no-deal Brexit.”

Related: Jacob Rees-Mogg gets meme treatment after Commons lie-down goes viral

Jack Peat

Jack is a business and economics journalist and the founder of The London Economic (TLE). He has contributed articles to VICE, Huffington Post and Independent and is a published author. Jack read History at the University of Wales, Bangor and has a Masters in Journalism from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

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