Corbyn dodges the Queen

The Herald reports:

Jeremy Corbyn has snubbed the Queen by refusing to be sworn into Britain’s Privy Council, as it emerged he could use a loophole to join the advisory body without ever meeting Her Majesty.

The UK Labour leader, a lifelong republican, is known to have reservations about kneeling in front of the Queen and kissing her hand as he swears an oath of allegiance to her, which is the normal process when a new Privy Councillor is sworn in.

And having refused to sing the National Anthem at a Battle of Britain 75th anniversary service last month, Mr Corbyn tried to dodge the issue by saying he could not attend tomorrow’s meeting due to unspecified “prior engagements”.

The Telegraph has learnt that Mr Corbyn could choose to avoid meeting the Queen altogether, using a mechanism called an Order in Council, by which the Privy Council, including the monarch, agrees to appoint a new member without them being present.

For that to happen Mr Corbyn, who has never met the Queen, would still have to confirm that he had taken the oath, but would avoid kneeling before the sovereign.

If he does so, it is understood he would be the first Leader of the Opposition to refuse to be sworn in the presence of the monarch. Orders in Council are usually used only for Privy Council members who are based abroad, such as prime ministers of Commonwealth realms.

He’s been an MP for over 30 years and has managed to avoid ever meeting the Queen, and still won’t meet her as Opposition Leader. Does he not realise the PM usually meets the Queen every week?

Can you really imagine him as the UK Prime Minister? It would be like John Minto being made Leader of the Labour Party, and winning an election!