Forcing Labour MPs to oppose the Tory motion aimed at sparking a probe into Keir Starmer will play into the “terrible narrative” that they are complicit in a cover-up, one of the prime minister’s own backbenchers has said.
Backbencher speaks out
Emma Lewell, a leftwing backbencher who spoke immediately after Kemi Badenoch opened the debate, said she shared a feeling with the public of being “let down, disappointed and angry”.
She said: “I feel the way that today’s vote has been handled by the government smacks once again of being out of touch and disconnected from the public mood. The fact that MPs like me are being whipped into voting against this motion is in my view wrong. It has played into the terrible narrative that there is something to hide and good decent colleagues will be accused of being complicit in a cover-up. Recent weeks have seen such abuse intensify and ongoing abuse and threats to me and my staff’s safety continues. Trust has gone and it has been replaced by anger. The already fragile fabric of our democracy is eroding further every day this continues.”
Lewell's remarks highlight growing discontent among Labour MPs over the handling of the motion, which seeks to investigate Starmer's conduct. The government’s decision to whip MPs against the inquiry has been criticized as damaging to public trust in politics.
