Corbyn campaign supporter in Kendall 'Tory spoof' picture

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-33652205

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The director of a Jeremy Corbyn campaign organisation has published a mocked-up picture of rival Liz Kendall as a Conservative candidate online.

Jon Lansman directed Twitter users to a spoof page promoting Kendall as a potential Tory leader.

He is the sole director of an official Corbyn campaign company that features on the front page of Corbyn's website.

The revelation has sparked a fresh row about the way Labour's leadership fight is being conducted.

A spokesman for Ms Kendall's campaign called on Corbyn's campaign to distance themselves from any supporters acting like this.

Mr Lansman is a volunteer in Corbyn's leadership bid and the director of Jeremy Corbyn Campaign 2015 (Supporters) Ltd, which it is understood holds data collected by the campaign.

Mr Corbyn has said he does not take part in personal attacks. Last night he told the BBC that politics should be "comradely and friendly".

'Personality politics'

Earlier this month, Mr Lansman twice tweeted an image of Liz Kendall manipulated to show her wearing a Conservative rosette against a Tory background.

On another occasion he wrote: "Can't help noticing that the spoof Kendall for Tory leader site http://bit.ly/ToryLiz has almost as many likes as original @LizforLeader".

The link led to a Facebook page purporting to show Kendall as a Conservative leadership candidate.

A Corbyn campaign spokesperson said: "Jon Lansman's tweets are not on behalf of the campaign. He has not to our knowledge supported the spoof Liz Kendall sites but in any case the position of the campaign is absolutely clear: spoof accounts are the opposite of the leadership debate we are all about - it should be a positive campaign about the future direction of the Labour party, not personality politics.

"We discourage all Jeremy Corbyn supporters from joining in with spoof websites or social media."

'Nonsense'

Mr Lansman is a researcher for Labour MP Michael Meacher and editor of the Left Futures blog on which he describes himself as a "veteran Bennite and party democracy campaigner".

Two of his tweets linked to posts on the blog featuring the Kendall image, one of which said neither Corbyn nor his campaign engaged in personal attacks.

A spokesman for Kendall's campaign said: "If official campaigns get into nonsense like that it reflects very badly.

"I would hope they would distance themselves from any people who are operating in this way."

In 2011, the Left Futures blog was criticised for publishing a manipulated image showing the Chancellor George Osborne with a slashed throat. There has been, as yet, no response from Lansman himself.