'So he has neither the decency not the backbone to condemn the death threat to a member of this House, whichever party they are in.'
Prime Minister Keir Starmer today slammed Nigel Farage for his lack of decency and for having no backbone, after the Reform leader refused to say whether he would take action against one of his councillors who called for a Labour MP to be shot.
It was reported yesterday that Reform’s Deputy Leader of Lancashire Councillor, Simon Evans, reposted a Facebook post saying Natalie Fleet MP should be shot.
The post, by an account named Malcolm Bulmer states: “YOU DOZY COW…YOU SHOULD BE SHOT’, it also includes a fake quote from her.
Evans later deleted the post and apologised, saying he had made a “genuine mistake” and claimed not to have noticed the additional message.
Despite the message being clearly visible, Reform say they have accepted councillor Evans’ claim that it was an ‘honest mistake’.
During Prime Ministers Questions today, Starmer asked Farage if he would do the right thing and punish the councillor.
“When the death threats were made against the member for Clacton, I stood at this despatch box and condemned them outright,” the PM said.
“If he has any decency or backbone, he will stand up, apologise, condemn the comments and sack the individual question in his party. Will he do so?”
Farage completely dodged the question, and instead focused on the Chagos deal.
The Reform leader said: “Can I ask the prime minister, for a government that is full of human rights lawyers, within and without, why do the opinions and human rights of the indigenous Chagossians not matter to him at all?”
Starmer immediately hit back: “So he has neither the decency not the backbone to condemn the death threat to a member of this House, whichever party they are in.”
That’s the kind of party Reform are.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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