“I saw the Blair-Mandelson regime as a coup, and I think it was a well-funded coup as well - resources obviously came from big private-sector backers. But all through that period the bulk of the rank and file party were what the party has always been, a socialist party.”

British Labour Party politician

John McDonnell is a British Labour Party politician. Born in 1951, he has served as the Member of Parliament for Hayes and Harlington since 1997 and was Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2015 to 2020. He is known for his long parliamentary career and for his role in Labour’s leadership on economic policy during those years. His public statements often reflect politics, government, and the direction of the economy.