Jeremy Corbyn may be in the midst of an anti-Semitism row engulfing his party, but that didn’t stop him from taking time at the weekend to offer detailed gardening advice to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the rising star of the US Democratic party.
The New York Congresswoman who has been dubbed the “First Lady of the Left”, tweeted to say she would be looking after a community garden plot until September.
In the tweet, which has been commented on more than 7,000 times, Ocasio-Cortez, asked for “green-thumbs” to offer words of advice on what she should plant.
The Labour leader was quick to respond, suggesting she plant flowers that attract bees and therefore improve pollination. He also said getting your hands dirty was the best way to stay healthy.
His tweet was met with mostly praise by social media users with one calling him an “allotment hardman”, although some were quick to point out that perhaps he should be focusing his energy trying to solve the anti-Semitism crisis or the Brexit deadlock.
In February, Corbyn and Ocasio-Cortez had a 45-minute telephone call.
“Great to speak to @AOC on the phone this evening and hear first hand how she’s challenging the status quo,” Corbyn tweeted. “Let’s build a movement across borders to take on the billionaires, polluters and migrant baiters, and support a happier, freer and cleaner planet.”
Ocasio-Cortez, who became the youngest woman ever elected to Congress in the midterms last year, responded in a tweet, saying “It was an honor to share such a lovely and wide-reaching conversation with you, @jeremycorbyn!”
“Also honored to share a great hope in the peace, prosperity, + justice that everyday people can create when we uplift one another across class, race, + identity both at home & abroad.”
In response, several Twitter users replied to Ocasio-Cortez’s tweet, pointing out the longstanding issues with anti-Semitism within the UK’s Labour party, which Corbyn has repeatedly faced criticism for.
Ocasio-Cortez responded to one commenter, saying “Thank you for bringing this to me. We cannot + will not move forward without deep fellowship and leadership with the Jewish community. I’ll have my team reach out.”