Furious Labour MPs are demanding the sacking of a senior Conservative after radio and TV host Jeremy Kyle broadcast sick jokes about the firebombing of properties connected to Sir Keir Starmer. Conservatives have blamed Jeremy Kyle for the incident, rejecting calls for Tory leader Kemi Badenoch to sack deputy Conservative Party chairman Matt Vickers, who laughed at comments made by Kyle.
Conservative Response
A Conservative spokesman said Mr Vickers was just being “polite” to the presenter. The spokesman stated: “If you listen to what Matt Vickers says, he doesn’t actually say anything wrong in the clip. If you’ve got an issue with the content of the programme or what Jeremy Kyle says, I suggest taking that up with Jeremy Kyle.” He also pointed out that Mrs Badenoch had “outright condemned” the arson.
When asked why Mr Vickers laughed at Mr Kyle’s comments, the Conservative spokesman said: “He laughed on that part – he was trying to be polite to the host of a radio programme. If you’ve got an issue with the way a radio interview was being conducted and the content that was being put to him by the host, that is a matter for Jeremy Kyle and his team.”
Labour's Outrage
Labour Party chairwoman Anna Turley said: “Matt Vickers is not fit to be an MP and if Kemi Badenoch had an ounce of integrity or respect for the safety of those who seek to serve the public, she would do the right thing and sack him today.”
Ms Turley added: “It is frankly sickening that anyone would seek to laugh and joke about an appalling attack on a fellow politician’s family home. To do so on the same day as we stood in unity to mark the anniversary of our dear friend and much-missed colleague Jo Cox, is beyond the pale.”
Background of the Arson Attacks
Last May, a Toyota Rav4, once owned by Sir Keir, was set alight in a street in Kentish Town, north London. Days later, two houses were set ablaze, including a north London home occupied by the Prime Minister’s sister-in-law and her family, which he still owns. Ukrainian Roman Lavrynovych, 22, and Romanian Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, have been convicted for plotting to damage property. The pair were stooges for a shadowy Russian-speaking taskmaster known as El Money. False and bizarre rumours were spread on social media at the time of the blazes in an attempt to discredit Sir Keir.
Details of the Interview
Interviewing Mr Vickers on his Talk TV show on Tuesday, Mr Kyle said: “Wow, so these two young … were they rent boys or was that...” Mr Vickers was heard laughing, as he replied: “I’m not familiar with them, to be fair.”
