Unite leader Len McCluskey rowed back from claims holding just 200 seats would be a good night for Labour because he ‘woke up feeling more optimistic’, John McDonnell says.
The Shadow Chancellor was quizzed on Friday’s Today programme on what he thought of McCluskey’s claim the loss of 32 seats would make for a successful election campaign.
The union chief later backtracked, said his comments had been ‘taken out of context’ and that he was ‘full of optimism’ about Labour’s chances on June 8.
McDonnell told the BBC Radio 4 programme: “He was much more optimistic the next day and said we had a good chance of winning.”
Host John Humphrys suggested McCluskey may have come under pressure from the party leadership to review his assessment.
“He didn’t come under pressure, he just woke up more optimistic the next morning, he had a good breakfast,” said McDonnell.
“We are going to win. We are rising in the polls and now people have seen this Tory manifesto, 10 million pensioners will be very angry, a large number of young people will be very angry, because there is no future in this manifesto.
“We are going to win on the positive hope we are giving people rather than the vague blank cheque Theresa May has demanded.”