THE CHINA CARD

摘要

John McDonnell, the veteran left-winger who nobody in Westminster predicted would be shadow chancellor by the end of 2015, caused a stir in his Autumn Statement-response when he chucked a copy of Mao Zedong's Little Red Book at George Osborne. Referring to how the chancellor has wooed the Chinese to invest in HS2 and EDF's £24.5bn Hinkley Point C civil nuclear plant, McDonnell told the chancellor: "I thought it would come in handy for you in your new relationship." He was playing for laughs, but was cheered by the wrong audience: Labour MPs looked confused and embarrassed, while the Conservative benches were in hysterics that a veteran socialist would brandish the work of one of communism's most notorious world figures. Osborne picked up the book and caused more fits of giggles - from his own MPs - by claiming it was McDonnell's personally signed copy.