‘This personal vitriol has no place in politics’ Britain
Theresa May has condemned the ‘‘dehumanising’’ and ‘‘derogatory’’ language used against her by some Tory Brexiteers, as senior MPs demanded that the culprits be exposed and have the whip withdrawn.
The Prime Minister yesterday hit back over the briefings against her last weekend over her handling of Brexit, with her official spokesman stating that she would not ‘‘dignify’’ the attacks with a response.
It came after a number of unnamed MPs claimed that the prime minister was entering the ‘‘killing zone’’ in her approach to negotiations with Brussels, with one warning ominously that ‘‘the moment is coming when the knife gets heated, stuck in her front and twisted’’.
Another said that May should bring ‘‘her own noose’’ to a meeting of backbench Tory MPs, due to take place tomorrow, whilst a third said that ‘‘assassination was in the air’’.
The comments have appalled MPs on both sides of the Commons, with several expressing their disbelief.
They included Steve Baker, the former Brexit minister, who said yesterday that he hoped those who had used the offensive language were ‘‘discovered’’ and had the whip withdrawn.
‘‘The person or persons who directed violent language at (May) have thoroughly disgraced themselves,’’ Baker told MPs. ‘‘I very much hope that they are discovered and I hope that she will withdraw the whip from them.’’
His comments were echoed by Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, who called for the ‘‘full weight’’ of the Conservative Party to be brought down on those responsible.
Yvette Cooper, the chairman of the home affairs select committee, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘‘This is vile and dehumanising language towards a woman MP, towards a prime minister who, no matter how much you might disagree with her, is someone who is doing a job in public life.
‘‘Nobody should be subject to that kind of violent language which I think is normalising violence in public debate at a time when we lost Jo Cox, we have had threats against Rosie Cooper, we have had other violent death threats against women MPs.’’
Sarah Wollaston, chairman of the health select committee, said: ‘‘Shame on the spineless cowards on my benches who hide behind anonymity to use such disturbing and violent language about their own colleague and prime minister. Have they learned nothing following the assassination of Jo Cox?’’
However, a senior government source told The Daily Telegraph that there were no plans for a probe, adding that an inquiry would be unlikely to uncover who made the remarks.
Asked about the remarks yesterday, May’s official spokesman said: ‘‘The prime minister has always been very clear that we must set a tone in public discourse that is neither dehumanising nor derogatory. Personal vitriol has no place in our politics.’’ – Telegraph Group