Politics

Labour leadership hopeful Richard Burgon hilariously mocked with fake Twitter account


Social media pranksters set up the ‘Richard Burgon For Labour Leader…Always’ account after the Leeds East MP was named as a potential successor to Mr Corbyn in the wake of the party’s disastrous performance at the general election. The page features a number of spoof tweets mocking Mr Burgon who emerged as one of the main voices of Labour’s ill-fated campaign.

One post says: “If Richard Burgon backs down from the labour leadership race he will be no better than a cheese-eating surrender monkey and from then on he would be known as: Richard Bourguignon.

“We’re counting on you Richard.”

Another says: “Emily Thornberry of Islingtonian stock would go the way of Hillary Clinton, I predict it. The choice before us is clear: Burgon or barbarism.”

And another tweet from the spoof account says: “No one can charm their way out of a sticky situation like Burgon can. He needs no words.”

Bookies Ladbrokes have listed Mr Burgon as a rank outsider for the leadership with odds of 100/1.

Keir Starmer currently leads the betting as the 5/2 favourite with Rebecca Long-Bailey just behind as a 4/1 shot.

Angela Rayner and Jess Phillips find themselves chalked up at 6/1 apiece with the bookies, and over the last 24 hours Lisa Nandy’s odds have halved into 8/1 from 16/1 following support.

READ MORE: Tony Blair adviser predicts Labour won’t win next two elections

Ladbrokes spokeswoman Jessica O’Reilly said: “At 100/1 Burgon is among the rank outsiders.

“However, he may take some solace from the fact that he’s currently the same price Corbyn was when he first entered the last Labour leadership race.”

Mr Corbyn said he would not be leading the party into another general election after the Labour lost 59 seats to deliver its worst result since 1935.

He said: “We will all go now. The new leader will come in place and appoint a shadow cabinet. I won’t be part of the shadow cabinet.

“I’ve done my bit. We need to move on at that stage with that new leader.”

Mr McDonnell named Mr Burgon, Ms Long-Bailey and Ms Rayner as part of a “new generation” who could be expected to take leading positions.

He insisted Brexit was not the only reason for Labour’s wipeout at the polls.

He said: ”I think we will be in a position, learning lessons listening to people, constructing a broad coalition right across the country. In those seats we have lost, it is about listening to people.

“I think it wasn’t just Brexit. I think a long history of maybe 40 years of neglect and them saying to politicians ‘you never listen to us and you have allowed our community to run down in this way’.

“I am hoping that will enable us to construct a programme to address those issues, but it has got to be from the grassroots and community upwards.”



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