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”.

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.”