Labour’s shadow chancellor copies Jeremy Corbyn and will NOT kneel in front of Queen
LABOUR’S shadow chancellor will be following leader Jeremy Corbyn by not kneeling before the Queen when he joins the Privy Council.
John McDonnell will not be kneeling in front of the Queen
John McDonnell will became a member of the Privy Council in early February, meaning he will then be referred to as “Right Honourable” in the House of Commons - and will be given national security briefings.
But instead of kneeling before the Queen when he becomes a member, he will be following the example of Labour leader Mr Corbyn, who said he and Her Majesty “shook hands like adults” when he became a member, according to The Daily Telegraph.
The controversial move comes as descent among Mr Corbyn’s frontbench ranks heightened as three shadow cabinet ministers said on Sunday they would quit if the pacifist leader did not support the Trident nuclear deterrent.
Their criticism came despite Mr Corbyn reshuffling his cabinet in a move critics claimed was an attempt to move them more in-line with his more left-wing politics.
Republican Jeremy Corbyn refused to kneel in front of the Queen
Mr Corbyn became a member of the Privy Council in November but was told he would not have to kneel before the queen after Buckingham Palace agreed to be “accommodating” about his long-held republican beliefs.
It was thought he would still have to kiss the Queen’s hand but Mr Corbyn privately told friends: “We shook hands like two adults.”
Mr McDonnell will still have to formally acknowledge the Queen as head of state and pledge to be her servant.
He will swear “by Almighty God to be a true and faithful servant unto the Queen’s majesty as one of Her Majesty’s Privy Council”.
Queen Elizabeth II kicks off Commonwealth summit
Fears a can of worms has been opened have arisen after Labour sources said: “As we saw with Jeremy, kneeling is no longer required.”
An MP who is a member of the Privy Council said the Labour leadership is now setting a “precedent” of not following tradition and kneeling before the Queen.
The MP told the Telegraph: “First Jeremy Corbyn refused to bow and now his shadow chancellor is going to do the same thing – it sets a precedent and is not sufficiently respectful.”
The ceremony will happen at Buckingham Palace
The Queen will instead shake Mr McDonnell's hand, it is believed