Prime Minister Confronts Farage in Heated PMQs Exchange Over Death Threat
Keir Starmer has launched a fierce condemnation of Nigel Farage during Prime Minister's Questions, accusing the Reform UK leader of lacking the decency and backbone to discipline a party councillor who shared a social media post stating that Labour MP Natalie Fleet should be shot.
Reform Councillor Shares Offensive Facebook Post
The controversy centres on Simon Evans, the deputy council leader for Reform UK in Lancashire, who shared a Facebook post containing a fake quote misattributed to Natalie Fleet, the MP for Bolsover. The fabricated quote falsely claimed Ms Fleet said: I voted against the grooming gang enquiry.
Accompanying text in the shared post, according to reports from The Guardian, stated: You dozy cow, you should be shot. This is particularly distressing given that Ms Fleet has previously spoken publicly about being groomed and raped as a teenager.
Starmer's Direct Challenge in Parliament
During the parliamentary session, Prime Minister Starmer directly challenged Mr Farage, stating: 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.
Starmer continued with a pointed comparison: When death 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.
Farage's Response and Subsequent Developments
Mr Farage stood to ask a question about the Chagos Islands but did not address the comments about the death threat during PMQs. Starmer responded sharply: 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.
The Prime Minister further criticised Reform UK, stating: That just shows that his party has got nothing to offer the country but grievance and division. He referenced other controversial Reform candidates, including one who allegedly said anyone who isn't white cannot be English and noted endorsements from far-right figures.
Apology and Party Response
Following the incident, Simon Evans deleted the post and issued an apology on Facebook, describing it as a genuine mistake. He 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.
A Reform UK spokesperson stated: 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.
Broader Context and Political Implications
This incident occurs against a backdrop of increasing concerns about political discourse and safety for elected representatives. Natalie Fleet has previously spoken about the need for MPs to be protected from such threats, highlighting the personal impact of such violent rhetoric.
The exchange during PMQs underscores ongoing tensions between Labour and Reform UK, particularly regarding standards in public life and appropriate responses to threats against politicians. Starmer's forceful intervention reflects his commitment to calling out what he perceives as unacceptable behaviour within political opponents.
