PM slams Farage in livid PMQs row after Reform chief backs name for MP to ‘be shot’
Keir Starmer has condemned Nigel Farage for failing to criticise a Reform council chief who shared a post saying a Labour MP ‘should be shot’ during Prime Minister’s Questions
Keir Starmer has condemned Nigel Farage for failing to criticise a Reform council chief who shared a post saying a Labour MP “should be shot”
Lancashire deputy council leader Simon Evans shared a Facebook post with a fake quote misattributed to Natalie Fleet, which said: “I voted against the grooming gang enquiry.” Ms Fleet, the MP for Bolsover, has previously spoken out about being groomed and raped when she was a teenager.
Mr Evans also re-shared text accompanying the picture, which said: “You dozy cow, you should be shot”, according to The Guardian. He has since apologised and deleted the post.
During PMQs, Prime Minister called out the Reform UK leader for failing to discipline him at Prime Minister’s Questions. He said: “A death threat was shared by Reform’s deputy council leader in Lancashire against the brilliant member for Bolsover. It said she should be shot.
“When deaths threats were made against the member for Clacton [Nigel Farage], I stood at this despatch box and condemned them outright. If he has any decency or backbone, he will stand up, apologise, condemn the comments and sack the individual in his party.”
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Mr Farage then stood up to ask a question about the Chagos Islands, but did not address the comments.
The Prime Minister responded: “So he has neither the decency nor the backbone to condemn a death threat to a member of this House, whichever party they are in, he doesn’t have the decency or the backbone to condemn it and to sack the individual.
“And that just shows that his party has got nothing to offer the country but grievance and division. Look at their candidate in Gorton and Denton [Matthew Goodwin], a man who says anyone who isn’t white cannot be English.
“No wonder he’s been endorsed by Tommy Robinson. It doesn’t represent our country and anybody who wants to stand against that hatred and division should vote Labour on Thursday tomorrow in Gorton and Denton.”
Mr Evans later deleted the post, and posted an apology on Facebook saying he had made “a genuine mistake”.
“Yesterday, I shared a post featuring Natalie Fleet MP highlighting how she voted on the grooming gang inquiry. As many of you know, this is an issue close to my heart and something I have been campaigning on tirelessly even before I was elected,” Evans wrote.
“Unfortunately what I did not notice was the accompanying text of the Facebook post that was created by an unknown user. As soon as this was pointed out, I immediately deleted the post. I would never intentionally call for or wish violence upon anyone, regardless of their political beliefs. This sort of rhetoric has absolutely no place in our politics.”
A Reform spokesperson said: “After investigating the post, the party considers it an honest mistake and will not be taking any action. We accept Cllr Evans’ apology and version of events.”
