Labour MPs’ office managers moan on WhatsApp chat that early parliament recall to allow tributes for Prince Philip will be ‘ninety minute circle jerk of what a great man he was’
- Labour apparatchiks moaned about Commons recall for tributes to Prince Philip
- Office managers called it ‘a ninety-minute circle jerk of what great man he was’
- Parliament will be recalled with House of Commons to sit at 2.30pm on Monday
- MPs had been due to return to Commons from Easter recess on Tuesday April 13
- Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said that the duke ‘served his country with distinction’
Labour Party apparatchiks moaned on a WhatsApp chat that the Commons recall for tributes to Prince Philip on Monday will be a ‘ninety-minute circle jerk’ following the Duke of Edinburgh’s death today aged 99.
Screenshots from the Labour MPs’ office managers chat published by Guido show party insiders are displeased with the decision to recall Parliament from its Easter recess to pay tribute to the Queen’s husband.
The website said the messages show Jay Glover, MP Alison McGovern’s office manager, replying to a WhatsApp message thread in which the recall for tributes is called a ‘ninety-minute circle jerk of what a great man he was’.
Guido reported that MP Mohammad Yassin’s office manager Gen McMahon also messaged the group: ‘It’s going to be intolerable’.
In a statement, Ms McGovern said: ‘As soon as I was alerted to the message I asked the team member to apologise, which he immediately did.’ MailOnline has also contacted Labour and the office of Mr Yassin for comment.
No10 and parliamentary officials confirmed the move to reconvene the House of Commons on Monday from 2.30pm, a day earlier than had been scheduled.
The Lords was already scheduled to return from recess on Monday at 1pm, but officials said they were finalising arrangements and any adjustments to business.
Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle called today ‘obviously a very sad day for Her Majesty, the royal family and the whole country’ after Buckingham Palace announced the duke passed away at Windsor Castle this morning.
In a statement, he said: ‘The Duke of Edinburgh has given his unwavering support to the Queen, both as a husband and as a consort.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker, said the Duke of Edinburgh served the UK with ‘distinction’
‘Described by Her Majesty as ‘my constant strength’, he served this country too, first with distinction during the Second World War and selflessly throughout eight decades during peacetime.
‘Prince Philip has performed wide-ranging official roles, carrying out thousands of engagements and overseas visits on behalf of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.
‘He will be remembered for his loyal devotion to service and his leadership of hundreds of ideals and causes close to his heart.
‘Most notably, of course, is the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award which helps millions of young people around the world to achieve their full potential as team members and future leaders in their chosen fields.
‘His was a long life that saw so much dedication to duty. Today we must pause to honour him and to offer our sincerest thanks for the prince’s devout faithfulness to our country – and all the nations shall miss him greatly.’
The most recent House of Commons recall from recess took place on January 6 to enable MPs to debate emergency Covid-19 legislation.
Other recent recalls include June 20, 2016 to allow MPs to pay tribute to their murdered colleague Jo Cox.
It comes as former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also came under fire for staying silent on the news of the duke’s passing before posting a tribute to Philip hours later.
The Independent MP had posted a link to an event inviting people to ‘support the Bolivian people’ less than 40 minutes after the news of the duke’s death was announced, in a tweet now deleted.
One social media user said: ‘A man died who did some much for this nation and Jeremy would rather tweet about Bolivia….. speaks volumes.’ Another slammed his ‘great timing’, while others told him to ‘read the room Jeremy’.
Another Twitter user urged Mr Corbyn to ‘put the news on mate’, while another alleged: ‘Bro [Mr Corbyn] said no to Phillip and yes to Bolivia’. MailOnline has contacted Mr Corbyn’s office for comment.
The news of the duke’s death was announced at midday by Buckingham Palace after he passed away ‘peacefully’ this morning.
His death plunges the nation and the Royal Family into mourning, and brings to an end Philip’s lifetime of service to Britain and to Elizabeth, the Queen to whom he was married for 73 years and had adored since she was a teenager.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson led tributes to the duke standing on the steps of Downing Street, calling the duke’s service to the nation ‘extraordinary’.