Patrick Stewart Quit The Labour Party Over A Bizarre Clash With Jeremy Corbyn
When it was announced that Patrick Stewart would be reprising his legendary role in Star Trek, the 78-year-old actor simply stated four words: “Jean-Luc Picard is back”.
Get him on the subject of politics, however, and he has a whole lot more to say. Just take a look at his detailed (slightly baffling) account of why he no longer supports the Labour party.
Stewart has been an avid supporter of the party since his youth. In 1945, at the age of 5, he stood with a placard backing his local Labour candidate. This support appeared unwavering. Just last year, he called Jeremy Corbyn “authentic and passionate” - prompting the burning question: what changed?
In an interview with New European, Stewart mentions a personal encounter which soured his thoughts on Corbyn. After a theatre performance, Corbyn turned to him and said, “you’re looking very well”. So far, so good, until Stewart replied with the joking response, “you can’t judge a book by its cover”. For reasons unknown to him, Corbyn seemed to take offence at this, snapping back with “you know, Patrick, you could just have said thank you instead of making a joke out of it”.
After a (very) awkward silence, Stewart left. Implying the bridges have been irreplaceably burned, he further commented “I find it difficult to understand what Labour really stands for or what it represents right now”. It would appear it is not only Labour’s leader, but also the ideology, that he has become disillusioned with. He announced he would be voting Green in the next election, as they better-encompassed his views.
Given the controversies Corbyn has faced over the last few weeks, it’s perhaps unsurprising Labour is losing popularity. But, it might come as a worry to the party that an influential legend - especially one who’s pledged support for so long - has decided to turn his back on them.
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