Day three of the row over Labour’s backfiring ‘law and order’ advert. The Keirleaders in party HQ have clearly decided that attack is the best form of attack and have been busy creating another graphic, switching their focus from ‘dangerous child abusers’ to ‘dangerous gunmen.’ Labour’s latest post cites figures which show that since 2010 some 937 adults have been convicted of possession of a firearm with intent to harm but have served no prison time.
It prompted Tom Watson, Jeremy Corbyn’s onetime deputy, to take an ill-advised pop at the Tory party deputy chairman, writing on Twitter that ‘I’d love to know what @LeeAndersonMP_ thinks of 937 criminals holding firearms with intent to harm not getting banged up. Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime.’ Ask and you will receive as the former miner unleashed a major barrage at the noble Lord, in a studs up, no-holds-barred, two-footed retort:
I will take no lectures from a political coward who started a witch hunt and then ran away from a safe Labour seat because he knew he was going to lose. You should hang your head in shame. Have you ever had a proper job or just scrounged off the tax payer for decades?
Watson could only meekly reply that ‘I didn’t want to lecture you, Lee. I wasn’t looking to offend you either’ adding ‘I know you have an interest in criminal justice and want to know your thoughts on firearms crimes. Do you think there should be a wider range of custodial sentences, for example?’ to, er, no response from the Ashfield MP.
Game, set and match to Anderson…
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