Backlash over Welby’s rhetoric rant
THE Archbishop of Canterbury faced a backlash yesterday after he suggested Boris Johnson and other MPs were pouring ‘petrol’ on divisions in the country with their rhetoric over Brexit.
The Most Reverend Justin Welby said it was ‘extraordinarily dangerous for politicians to use careless comments’ in the current climate.
While not aiming his comments at any one individual, he made clear he was shocked by the PM’s recent dismissal of complaints by Labour MPs that his language was putting lives at risk as ‘humbug’.
The Archbishop, who voted Remain in the 2016 referendum, said: ‘Death threats are really serious and they need to be taken seriously. All sides need to say, “That is totally and utterly unacceptable”.’
He said that, in the age of social media ‘which amplifies things’, today’s political leaders should not use ‘inflammatory’ words.
‘In a time of deep uncertainty, a much smaller amount of petrol is a much more dangerous thing than it was in a time when people were secure,’ he added.
But yesterday Eurosceptic MPs condemned the Archbishop for his intervention, which came in an interview with The Sunday Times.
Tory David Morris said: ‘The divisions over Brexit are not Boris’s fault – they reflect the deeply held beliefs of ordinary Britons.
‘I fear these unfair public attacks will add to, and not reduce, tensions in the country.’
Mark Francois, deputy chairman of the European Research Group, said: ‘The Archbishop is sounding increasingly like a frustrated politician so perhaps he should abandon his pulpit and stand for election.’