Lord Digby Jones: Corbyn 'disgraceful and embarrassing' over anti-Trump speech
Lord Digby Jones has criticised "disgraceful and embarrassing" Jeremy Corbyn for protesting against Donald Trump, saying: "I've never seen anything so crass in my life."
The hard-left Labour leader delivered a vicious attack on the US President during a speech to anti-Trump protesters in Whitehall, accusing him of spreading hatred and division.
His speech has been widely condemned by senior politicians and business leaders, with some questioning why a man who hopes to be Prime Minister would attack the leader of the UK's greatest ally.
Lord Digby Jones, who served as a crossbench Minister for Trade in Gordon Brown's Labour government, said he was appalled by Mr Corbyn's behaviour.
Speaking at a Black Country business event at The Hawthorns, hosted by the Richardsons, Lord Jones highlighted the strong links between the West Midlands and US firms.
He said: "When you see Jeremy Corbyn at the protest... I've never seen anything so crass in my life.
"He has spent 40 years on soapboxes, and to be fair to him he's very good at it. But a Prime Minister needs to lead, not whip up a frenzy against our best friend.
"He thinks it is fine to be rude against American business, to insult the American President and the guarantor of our security. This is our biggest inward investor and major trading partner we are talking about.
"And Jeremy Corbyn wants to be leader of this country?
"I thought he was disgraceful and an embarrassment.
"And this has absolutely nothing to do with people having the right to demonstrate. When we commemorate D Day, one of the things we are looking back on is that people died for democracy, so we can demonstrate.
"I'm sure Donald Trump can put up with demonstrators. But it is entirely different when a man who wants to become our Prime Minister is standing there with them and being so bloody rude."
The Labour leader rejected an invitation to the state banquet the Queen held to mark Mr Trump's visit.
And Mr Corbyn's request for a meeting with the US President was turned down, with Mr Trump describing him as "somewhat of a negative force".
Mr Corbyn has also come under fire from Dudley North MP Ian Austin, who called on the Labour leader to clean up his own act before criticising others.
Mr Austin, who quit Labour earlier this year, described Mr Corbyn as "the biggest hypocrite in politics" for "condemning racism and misogyny while allowing anti-Jewish racism to poison the Labour Party".
"What a disgrace. Clean up your own act first," he said.
