MONMOUTH MP David Davies was among a number of Conservatives inside the House of Commons seen heckling criticism of the prime minister yesterday.
A fellow Conservative MP, Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East), was speaking during Prime Minister's Questions yesterday, Wednesday, afternoon amid the fallout of the publication of the Sue Gray report.
Offering a blunt criticism of the prime minister, behaviour inside Number 10 during lockdown, and the Conservative party's chances in future elections, Mr Ellwood received criticism from fellow Tory MPs including Mr Davies.
Asked what he had said to Mr Ellwood in the chamber, Mr Davies said: "He asked if Boris could win the next election. I said yes."
Footage from PMQs, shared by ITV, shows Mr Ellwood begin by saying: "This [Sue Gray] is a damning report" - to which Mr Davies is seen to raise his eyebrows.
'Are you willing day in and day out to defend this behaviour publicly?' Tory MP Tobias Ellwood, who wants the PM to resign, asked his colleagues
— ITV News (@itvnews) May 25, 2022
'Can we win the general election on this current trajectory?' he added, as he was heckled by 'his own people' https://t.co/Ui66Eb8klW pic.twitter.com/3rl6T3uAlJ
Mr Ellwood goes on to describe what he sees as "the absence of leadership, focus and discipline in Number 10" which brings a sigh from Mr Davies.
"I’ve made my point and my position very clear to the prime minister," Mr Ellwood said, to another eyebrow raise from Mr Davies.
"He does not have my support.
"A question I humbly put to my colleagues is, are you willing – day in, day out – to defend this behaviour publicly?
"Can we continue to govern without distraction, given the erosion of the trust with the British people?
"Can we win the General Election on this current trajectory?"
At this, Mr Davies is seen to raise his eyebrows again, this time answering "yes".
Mr Ellwood is seen to continue by saying "the question I place to the prime minister" before being interrupted by heckles from members of his own party.
Mr Davies can be seen to laugh and say "yes" again.
"Mr speaker I’m being heckled by my own people," Mr Ellwood said.
"If we cannot work out what we are going to do then the Conservative Party will lose the next General Election."
Mr Davies looks to roll his eyes at this statement.
Mr Ellwod then asked the prime minister directly: “Can he think of any other prime minister who’d have allowed such a culture of indiscipline to take place under their watch and, if it did, would they not have resigned?”
The Argus asked Mr Davies today whether he thought Mr Ellwood had been wrong to criticise the prime minister in the way he did.
We also asked Mr Davies for his views on the Sue Gray report and the actions within Number 10 during lockdown.
Mr Davies responded only to say that he had answered "yes" to Mr Ellwood's question in the Commons.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel