Prime Minister calls for deputy council leader to be sacked over death threat to MP social post
As The Lancashire Lead first reported, Reform’s national leadership is under pressure to intervene over Simon Evans’ actions on Facebook
The Prime Minister has called on Reform UK to sack a deputy council leader over a death threat to an MP he re-shared on social media.
As our sister title The Lancashire Lead revealed yesterday (24 February) councillor Simon Evans, the second most senior Reform politician in Lancashire, where they control the council, reshared a post of Labour MP Natalie Fleet in relation to voting on the grooming gangs inquiry.
In the post on Facebook it says “YOU DOZY COW… YOU SHOULD BE SHOT.” over a picture of Fleet, who herself is a victim of grooming.
Cllr Evans claimed he didn’t see the caption on the post before sharing it. He has since removed it and apologised.
During Prime Minister’s Questions this afternoon, Sir Keir Starmer raised the issue of the social media post made by councillor Evans and called for Nigel Farage to act.
Watch the PMQs exchange below as the PM calls for Reform to sack Evans
The PM said: “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’, when death threats, when death threats, were against the member for Clacton [Farage] I stood at this dispatch 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. Will he do so?”
Farage did not answer the question, instead asking the Prime Minister about a 14-year-old Mauritian and the future of the Chagos Islands.
Starmer responded to Farage’s response repeating his call for Reform to sack Evans, saying: “So he has neither the decency or the backbone to condemn a death threat to a member of this house whichever party they are in. He doesn’t have the decency or the backbone to condemn it and to sack the individual. And that just shows that his party has got nothing to offer the country than grievance and division.”
Farage appears to mouth “No I won’t” across the chamber to Stamer’s response calling for him to sack county councillor Simon Evans.
Reform in Lancashire have already said they will take no action against Evans, saying it was “an honest mistake” and that he apologised - with Evans himself releasing a social media statement during Tuesday apologising for his actions.
As The Lead reported yesterday, Reform both nationally and in Lancashire are facing continuing calls to act over the future of Simon Evans.
Hope not HATE Director of campaigns Georgie Laming told The Lead: “Simply calling this an “honest mistake” is repugnant – Cllr Evans should have reported the post to the police. Deathly violence against politicians in this country is unfortunately a very real threat, as is evident from the horrific murders of Jo Cox and David Amess.”
Cllr Azhar Ali, leader of the Progressive Lancashire opposition group at Lancashire County Council, told The Lancashire Lead: “It’s easy to make mistakes but calling for someone to be shot is reckless and dangerous, and this sums up how Reform UK deals with councillors making threats on social media.
“Nigel Farage and Richard Tice turn a blind eye to this. In any other political party, that person would be suspended or thrown out. This reflects the toxic culture that Reform UK is prepared to tolerate.”