For the Response from Iain McNichol, scroll down to the end of the page:
Mr Iain McNicholl General Secretary of the Labour Party Southside 105 Victoria Street London SW1E 6QT
Dear Iain McNicholl,
We are writing to you from Disabled People Against Cuts and Mental Health Resistance Network. We are asking the Labour Party Compliance Unit to urgently investigate about the use of the term “nutter” by Tony Blair as was reported yesterday in several newspapers.
We demand that the Labour Party take action against Tony Blair and make the action taken public. We also expect a public apology to be made to disabled people by Tony Blair.
This unacceptable use of pejorative language follows on shortly after the equally offensive use of the term “lunatic” during the leadership election campaign by Owen Smith.
It is totally unacceptable to disabled people and our campaigns that such a derogatory term is used to describe people with mental health support needs, use of the word “nutter” in this context to malign a political opponent is considered deeply offensive and shows a frightening level of ignorance.
The Labour Campaign for Mental Health, set up to challenge mental health stigma and discrimination, has supported criticism of the former Labour PM on twitter on Monday (see below).
Nearly nine out of ten people with mental health support needs say that stigma and discrimination have a negative effect on their lives. Language is very powerful and people in public roles have a responsibility not to encourage prejudice. One in four people will experience a mental health problem at some point in their lives and what is needed is greater understanding and awareness, not cheap insults promoting social stigma.
The use of such derogatory terms has contributed to fuelling increasing hate crime against disabled people and anyone representing the party who uses such terms should be immediately suspended pending an investigation.
The use of such a pejorative and stigmatising term by senior members of the Labour Party, brings the whole party into disrepute and we ask that you give this matter the serious attention that it deserves
We await your response with interest
Signed
Roy Bard, Mental Health Resistance Network
Anita Bellows, Disabled People Against Cuts
Linda Burnip, Disabled People Against Cuts
Bob Ellard, Disabled People Against Cuts
Andy Greene, Disabled People Against Cuts
Roger Lewis, Disabled People Against Cuts
Denise McKenna, Mental Health Resistance Network
Paula Peters, Disabled People Against Cuts
Reference: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tony-blair-returning-to-politics-comeback-jeremy-corbyn-nutter-theresa-may-lightweight-a7427676.html
Disappointing to hear @tonyblairoffice make such inappropriate MH comments. Labour are making a lot of progress on MH & this must continue!
— Labour Mental Health (@Labour_MH) November 21, 2016
We kindly ask @tonyblairoffice to retract his comments on @jeremycorbyn‘s mental health such stigmatising language has no place in our party
— Labour Mental Health (@Labour_MH) November 21, 2016
If @tonyblairoffice does want to return to politics, he needs to have a serious think about what affect his derogatory comments have!
— Labour Mental Health (@Labour_MH) November 21, 2016
And here is the response:
That reply is not good enough and makes no attempt to address the issue
What a wordy way of saying, ‘Piss off, don’t care’. There are a lot of good people in the Labour Party, it is a shame they are not always represented by the best people.