Jess Phillips: If One Of Us Gets Hurt, I'll Blame Boris Johnson

26 September 2019, 16:21

MP Jess Phillips tells LBC: "If one of us gets hurt, I'll blame Boris Johnson."

The Labour MP told Shelagh Fogarty how she'd approached Boris Johnson today to ask him questions, for which he gave "rubbish answers" and simply exhaled.

"I asked him how he felt about his name and his words being cited in death threats that had been said to my office this week, and he didn't give me any response. It's exactly the same as when he's standing at the dispatch box, impossible to get an answer out of.

"I asked him about how he felt about inciting hatred as a specific campaign strategy because that's the problem here.

"There has always been violence levelled at Members of Parliament. What is new that it is part now of the political strategy to incite fear and loathing, and people versus Parliament, and he is doing it on purpose."

After other MPs alleged she'd been angry and shouting, Phillips said she had been cross and told him she "didn't understand him" but said no one shouted.

Shelagh said: "We need better from him, we need better from you, we need better from all MPs."

"I couldn't agree more," said Jess Phillips, "we all need to do better. I need to not lose my temper but I'm only human."

She said, "People make mistakes and I think the Prime Minister needs to admit he's made some too", but stressed that he needs to stop making them.

"He should stop saying Surrender Bill for a perfectly legitimate piece of legislation. He should stop using a betrayal narrative. He should stop trying to make it people versus Parliament because, and I say this without any doubt this is correct, if one of us gets hurt, I will blame Boris Johnson."