Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting apologises after Corbyn ‘senile’ comment

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting has apologised, after he called former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn ‘senile’.

Dominic McGrath
Wednesday 09 November 2022 13:38 EST
Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said he has apologised to Jeremy Corbyn (PA)
Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said he has apologised to Jeremy Corbyn (PA) (PA Wire)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting has apologised after he called former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn “senile”.

The Labour frontbencher said he made the remarks “in jest” in Parliament as the Prime Minister gave a statement on the Cop27 climate summit.

The comment came as Mr Corbyn tried to raise a point of order in the House of Common.

He was mentioned by Rishi Sunak during Prime Minister’s questions as Mr Sunak hit back at Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer during the weekly exchange.

Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle denied the request and asked why the ex-Labour MP was raising a point of order.

Mr Streeting can be heard saying: “He’s gone senile.”

Later the Ilford North MP tweeted about his remark: “In jest, but I accept in poor taste. I’ve dropped Jeremy a note directly to apologise for any offence caused.”

Mr Corbyn, who now sits as independent MP for Islington North after being removed from Labour, appeared to address the remarks on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon, tweeting: “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.”

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in