The Labour leader was accused by MPs of mocking the slur but insists he actually said 'stupid people' despite lip-readers suggesting otherwise
JEREMY Corbyn was branded a sexist and a liar after causing uproar by appearing to call Theresa May a “stupid woman”.
In scenes of chaos in the Commons, Tory MPs accused the Labour leader of muttering the slur during PM’s Questions.
Mr Corbyn was later dragged back to explain himself.
He was ridiculed as he astonishingly insisted he had actually said “stupid people” — despite lip readers suggesting otherwise.
Mrs May said Mr Corbyn should apologise.
She said: “In the year in which we celebrate 100 years since women got the vote, I want to see more women encouraged to come into Parliament and not put off by the sorts of remarks they might feel have been said in Parliament.
“I think the Speaker made very clear that if a member of parliament uses inappropriate language that they should apologise.”
She had infuriated Mr Corbyn with a panto-style dig mocking his on-off threat of tabling a no confidence vote in her Government.
Expert lip readers told The Sun he reacted by uttering: “Stupid woman”.
Tina Lannin, director of lipreading service 121 Captions said: “Each of the four lipreaders said their conclusion is 100 per cent ‘stupid woman’.
“The lip pattern for P and W are both different so there is no doubt on this one.”
Images of his comment during PM’s Questions spread like wildfire through the packed Commons after being posted on social media.
Mr Corbyn scuttled out of the Chamber as Tory big beast Patrick McLoughlin demanded he apologise.
Furious Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom said the “public would draw their own conclusions”.
CORBYN called Theresa May “stupid woman”. He knows it, his aides know it, his supporters know it, professional lip-readers know it . . . everyone knows it.
The misogyny and disrespect is bad enough — especially from the man who trades on his veneer of civility and his allegedly “kinder, gentler” politics.
The real measure of him is that he fled the Commons before he could be called to account for it — then made up a cock-and-bull story to avoid being forced to apologise once he was summoned back.
This is the coward and liar Labour want to install in No10.
But the party’s venality gets worse.
Because when Speaker John Bercow was himself then accused of calling a Tory “stupid woman”, Labour Remainer Margaret Beckett stood up for him and hollered at the Tory benches.
Not for her the solidarity shown by other female MPs across the House. Oh no. Bercow can do no wrong so long as he helps her and her pals reverse Brexit.
God help us that our politicians have sunk this low.
Tory Rachel McLean said: “Read my lips – I do not believe him.”
Mr Corbyn, who has repeatedly called for an end to personal abuse in politics, scuttled out of the Chamber as Tory big beast Patrick McLoughlin demanded he apologise.
The Labour leader was then snapped watching the events unfold on live TV from the safety of the Commons tearoom.
MPs grouped around the Speaker’s chair desperately trying to show him a video of the slur so he could rule on it.
But he waived it away – saying he would look at it in private.
The Speaker later returned and told MPs that while it was “easy to see” why Mr Corbyn’s words might have been construed as “stupid woman”, “nobody can be 100% certain, that includes professional lipreaders.”
But Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “The mask slips. Jeremy Corbyn’s abuse of the Prime Minister shows what a reactionary misogynist he is.”
Labour veteran Dame Margaret Beckett had tried to defend Mr Corbyn by saying the Tories were guilty of trying to mount an “orchestrated riot”.
But Labour’s Jess Philips had earlier admitted that if right the slur was “sexist” and Mr Corbyn “should apologise”.
The Prime Minister had infuriated the Labour leader by mocking his on-off threat of tabling a no confidence vote in her Government.
To roars of laughter, she said: “I have some advice for the right hon. Gentleman: look behind you. They are not impressed, and neither is the country.”
Mr Corbyn’s spokesman insisted there was no need to say sorry as he hadn’t made the attack. And he said the controversy defied belief given the “national crisis” of Brexit.
The Labour leader said: “I referred to those who I believe were seeking to turn a debate about the national crisis facing our country into a pantomime as ‘stupid people’.
“I did not use the words ‘stupid woman’ about the Prime Minister or anyone else, and am completely opposed to the use of sexist or misogynist language in absolutely any form at all.”
The row comes just months after Chancellor Philip Hammond was seen mouthing “stupid woman” at a Brexiteer female MP in chamber too.
And ex-PM David Cameron was forced to apologise for telling a woman to “calm down dear!” in the Commons back in 2011.
Cherie Blair was overhead at Labour conference in 2006 snapping “that’s a lie” when Gordon Brown spoke of how privileged he felt to have worked with her husband –ex-PM Tony Blair.
No.10 claimed she actually said: “I need to get by.”
