We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

Mr McDonnell served under Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party and was a long-time friend and ally of the former leader. Alongside Mr Corbyn, Mr McDonnell has widely been considered as one of the key figures on the left-wing of the party.

As Labour’s key fiscal figure, Mr McDonnell made huge promises and pledges on public spending.

Under the socialist Mr Corbyn, Mr McDonnell said Labour would increase spending on infrastructure and research, famously describing his vision for the economy as “socialism with an iPad”.

Many in politics and the public shrugged off Mr McDonnell’s huge economic pledges as wishful thinking.

Yet, in the current coronavirus pandemic, many have drawn attention to how his policies may have rolled-out.

Given his socialist roots, Mr McDonnell naturally rebelled against Labour several times during his career.

One example was his opposition to Tony Blair’s – former Prime Minister and Labour leader – entering the UK into the Iraq war in 2003.

Voting against the war, Mr McDonnell later stated in 2007: “I have used every opportunity to oppose the Government’s alliance with George Bush and the US-led military occupation of Iraq which has resulted in the deaths of over 655,000, caused untold human suffering, put at risk the territorial integrity of Iraq, destabilised the entire region, alienated our own Muslim communities and given a huge boost to international terrorism – just as we warned it would.”

Helping to draw-up the documents that eventually led to the UK going to war with Iraq was Labour’s former spin doctor, Alastair Campbell.

JUST IN: Labour: Keir Starmer’s fragility as leader exposed by Tory comparison

Mr Campbell, now head interviewer for GQ, spoke with Mr McDonnell in October 2019 – just ahead of the December election, though neither would have known.

Shortly after the interview began, conversation moved towards religion and Mr McDonnell’s catholic upbringing.

Mr McDonnell has previously revealed how he relieved himself of religion at the age of 15 or 16 years old after “basically discovering girlfriends,” though he remains “culturally catholic”.

On this topic, Mr Campbell asked: “When you did believe in God, did you see God as a socialist?”

DON’T MISS

Schools open: Open letter begs council not to open schools [LATEST]
Ex-Labour MP reveals THREE reasons why she voted for Boris Johnson [UPDATE]
How Starmer can ‘rub salt into open wounds’ to put Boris on brink [ANALYSIS] 

Mr McDonnell: “Yes, oh yes.

“I still see Jesus as a socialist.

“Of course he was.

“It was interesting because I had a discussion a couple of months ago about Sermon on the Mount and how he fed the 4,000 with a few loaves and fishes.

“Someone said ‘didn’t you realise what that was about? That was about everyone brought their own food but they shared it among everybody.’”

To this, Mr Campbell replied: “That’s Jesus, what’s the difference between God and Jesus?”

Mr McDonnell noted: “I was brought up catholic so Jesus is the son of God.

“So, therefore, his life on Earth was a demonstration, for me, of real socialism.”

Mr Corbyn and Mr McDonnell largely missed their chance to enter the UK into a period of socialism when Labour lost the 2019 general election.

The party’s worst defeat since 1935, Mr Cobyn announced he would shortly thereafter resign.

Sir Keir Starmer, Mr Corbyn’s former Shadow Brexit Secretary, has since become Labour leader.

Many believe Sir Keir will bring the party back to the centre ground.

Source: Read Full Article