Is Paul Mason Goading Jeremy Corbyn And Labour With This Progressive Alliance Video?

Well, this is awkward.

It would be difficult to accuse Paul Mason of sitting on the fence when it comes to politics.

A vocal Jeremy Corbyn supporter, the former broadcast journalist-turned commentator has never shied away from saying where his loyalties lie, defending the Labour leader against attacks from ‘biased’ media outlets.

But in a video uploaded by Compass - the organisation behind the Progressive Alliance campaign encouraging people to vote for the party most likely to beat the Tories in their constituency - Mason appears to goad both Corbyn and Labour’s general secretary, Iain McNicol, urging people to vote tactically.

Recorded in front of a crowd of supporters, Mason addresses the pair directly, as well as ‘my colleagues in the Labour Party’.

“I am going to vote tactically for the best placed candidate to defeat the Tories in the constituency where I live,” he says.

He adds that he is not alone, before turning the camera on a cheering audience.

Mason doesn’t say which constituency he is registered to vote in on June 8 - nor does he reveal the candidate most likely to beat the Conservatives.

Labour has repeatedly rejected calls for it to be part of a Progressive Alliance, and under party rules any member actively supporting or campaigning for a candidate standing against Labour faces expulsion.

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