Jeremy Corbyn seen joking with the man who made Jewish Labour MP cry just MINUTES after she was forced to flee event in tears
Labour leader stood by and did nothing while Ruth Smeeth was verbally attacked at anti-Semitism event
JEREMY Corbyn has been caught on camera laughing and joking with a heckler who abused a Jewish Labour MP at the launch of a report about anti-Semitism.
Previously unseen footage also shows that the embattled Labour leader knows the man well enough to have his mobile phone number.
Jeremy Corbyn is caught on camera chatting to Marc Wadsworth, the man who heckled Ruth Smeeth
Yesterday’s launch was supposed to show how the Opposition party is dealing with anti-Semitism but during his speech Corbyn compared Israel to ISIS.
And the Stoke on Trent North and Kidsgrove MP Ruth Smeeth was verbally attacked and accused of being part of a Jewish media conspiracy.
Jeremy Corbyn stood by and did nothing when Ruth Smeeth was heckled at the anti-Semitism report launch
She later called on Corbyn to quit because he “stood by and did absolutely nothing” while the incident was taking place.
Video footage from the Russia Today channel has emerged of what happened after she walked out of the event and it shows Corbyn and the heckler, a man called Marc Wadsworth, chatting together.
The Labour leader is being ushered out of the event by aides when Wadsworth says to him: “I hope I don’t get knocked over by the police this time,” to which Corbyn replies: “I’m sorry about that.”
Corbyn responds to another comment from Wadsworth by saying: "Yeah, I did. I sent you a text about that."
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When Wadsworth asks someone why he is being pushed Corbyn apologises.
As the Labour leader left the room Wadsworth tells him: “I outed Smeeth, bloody talking to the Torygraph,” but Corbyn appears to be saying hello to someone else and it is not clear if he heard the remark.
Corbyn does not raise the earlier incident at any point during the filmed conversation.
Human rights campaigner Shami Chakrabarti, who wrote the anti-Semitism report and was at yesterday's event, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme Corbyn shared her anger at what had happened.
She said: “I have been to see Ruth Smeeth and I've apologised to her because it was my press conference and I was chairing it and I'm really sorry she was treated in that way.
"I was chairing the press conference and I probably didn't give (Jeremy) a chance to jump in because I was so quick to jump in.
"He concurred with me when I admonished the gentleman in question for heckling not just Ruth Smeeth but me and for abusing the privilege of asking a question at a national press conference and the leader concurred with me."
A source close to Mr Corbyn told the Russia Today footage: "Looks like him just trying to get past to me."
