Piers Corbyn heckles brother Jeremy at climate event
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Climate-sceptic Piers Corbyn has heckled his brother Jeremy over the climate crisis, reports suggest.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was speaking at an event on climate justice at The World Transformed, a programme of events that is running alongside the main Labour Party conference in Brighton.
But reports suggested his climate-sceptic brother Piers intervened after the chair of the event had asked for questions from women and people of colour only.
Those at the event said the request prompted shouting from a man in the audience, who was then removed, and Piers Corbyn then accused the event organisers of assault.
In a video posted on Twitter by The Daily Telegraph’s political correspondent Tony Diver, the chair of the event can be heard saying: “You need to ask yourself what level of entitlement you think you have over this space.
“You need to sit down and show some goddamn respect.”
She added: “Alright, so we need to carry on comrades, because we have a massive task ahead of us.”
Piers Corbyn was then seen handing out leaflets containing the conspiracy theory that man-made climate change does not exist.
Piers Corbyn has regularly spoken at climate science denial events and previously suggested climate change was “nonsense”.
He has been seen handing out leaflets outside the Labour conference venues with anti-vaccine messaging as well as climate denial literature.
A The World Transformed spokesperson told the PA news agency: “Piers Corbyn was admitted to TWT21 this afternoon as with all other ticket holders.
“The climate crisis is real and TWT has a long history of working with climate activists.”
Elsewhere in the main conference hall, white men were urged not to “dominate” speaking slots.
During a debate on housing and transport, the chairman of the session noted the people putting their hands up to contribute did “not reflect the diversity” of those in the hall.
Mark Ferguson, a member of Labour’s National Executive Committee, told delegates in Brighton: “I am afraid, and I am not speaking from a position of particular strength here, there are too many white men putting their hands up.”
