John McDonnell has been caught making a sarky dig at Labour HQ’s compliance unit in comments which have not gone down well with Labour moderates. The Shadow Chancellor’s appearance at the hard-left Labour Representation Committee Special AGM on Saturday clashed with Labour’s Alternative Models of Ownership conference (organised by Southside). McDonnell ended his speech by joking:

“Thanks Comrades, I’m sorry about this clash… I don’t want the compliance unit expelling me just for not turning up at a conference. “

A Labour source told Guido:

“This is a dig at the staff which isn’t a very socialist thing to do, but it also belittles the reasons why people have been expelled which is often either for outright antisemitism or harassment of women, and given the #MeToo movement, in reality these comments couldn’t be further from a joke.”

Just broacialist banter…