Labour MP Emily Thornberry complained she was a victim of “prejudices about Islington” before being forced to resign in a snobbery row.
Speaking to the Evening Standard, the Islington South and Finsbury MP denied “sneering” when she tweeted a picture of a Rochester house draped with England flags and with a white van parked outside the door.
Appearing surprised that her tweet caused a furore, she said: “This was a house covered in the flag so you couldn’t see out of the windows and it was a striking image.” She added about the row: “It reveals all kind of prejudices about Islington.”
The barrister MP’s suggestion that some critics were biased against a London borough synonymous with the chattering classes failed to convince other MPs.
Northern Labour MP John Mann said the tweet was “horrendous”. He added: “It insults people like me, it insults the people I know, my friends and family, Labour voters across the country, because white vans, England flags, they’re Labour values and actually pretty routine Labour values for most of us.”
A chastened Ms Thornberry gave a dignified apology in front of a scrum of cameras as she left her £3 million home to go to the Commons today.
She said: “I got it wrong, I made a mistake. I’ve resigned and if I have upset anyone or insulted anybody I apologise.”
However, on her Twitter account she marked a series of supportive tweets as favourites, including one that read: “In my opinion I think you did nothing wrong. I think it’s all been taken out of context.”
Labour leader Ed Miliband was described by an aide as furious about her original tweet. He had two conversations with Ms Thornberry last night. One resulted in her issuing an apology, the other ended with her resignation shortly after 10pm.
Labour campaign strategist Douglas Alexander said Mr Miliband “didn’t hold back” in making his anger clear.
