John McTernan Is Less Than Impressed With Newsnight's 'Magic Money Tree' Comment

Ex-Blair Advisor Throws Epic Shade On Corbyn's 'Magic Money Tree'

One of Labour's stalwart political strategists has left voters in no doubt about his feelings towards new shadow Chancellor John McDonnell.

John McTernan, ex-director of political operations under Tony Blair and a close ally of the former PM, gave a bemused reaction when discussing Labour's plan to end austerity on Newsnight this week.

He said new leader Jeremy Corbyn could not "just pull his money out of nothing", and slammed the Islington MP for believing in a "magic money tree".

Zoe Williams, a Guardian columnist, hit back at the claims, saying: "Obviously there is a money tree - it's called the Bank of England."

But her rebuttal left McTernan less than impressed, his withering eyebrows raised scathingly in response to the remark.

The move prompted uproar on social media, when John Prescott, with whom McTernan has a long-running feud over Corbyn's victory, intervened.

The ex-deputy Prime Minister posted a picture on Twitter of the moment captioned: "Spot the idiot," with a none-to-subtle finger-pointing hand grafted on, directed at McTernan.

Singer and left-wing activist Billy Brag, a long-time defender of Corbyn, also joined the fray, writing:

McTernan's response instantly shot to fame, with some commenters saying they would save and use it as a reaction GIF, others that the look on his face was "priceless".

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