Apologise to the Commons and the country, Prime Minister

There are very many members of the Labour Party who are unafraid to call out bad behaviour in our own ranks – it is the right thing to do, but we can often get vilified for that. Emily Thornberry started her thoughtful contribution on Iran yesterday with an apology for an off the cuff remark she made about the Lib Dems. It is absolutely astonishing that it was the only apology heard in the House of Commons yesterday.

On the same day we witnessed the Attorney General, the most senior legal adviser in the government, attack the Supreme Court, MPs, and parliament. We heard the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster totally mislead parliament about business attitudes to a no deal Brexit. We heard how public funds have been dished out to the government’s mates running companies that don’t seem to exist, and also how the government were asleep at the wheel while Thomas Cook collapsed. It was nothing short of a disgrace then to have the Prime Minister follow his appalling blustering statement with a grim, provocative insult to the memory of Jo Cox.

We all need to realise that words matter. The tone of our debates matter. And the Prime Minister has a special responsibility to lead by example. Words can incite. Words can divide, and yes, words can kill. When MPs are getting death threats that give the Prime Minister a namecheck, it really is time to stop, grow up and change direction. The words used by the Prime Minister yesterday were so wrong, not just because of the hurt they caused, but because of the actions they will doubtless inspire.

As someone who always speaks from the heart, there are a hundred times when I’ve felt the need to apologise when I go over the top, or get something wrong. But that is the key for a lot of us in life – if we fall short, it is because we are passionate, and speaking from the heart. If we get it wrong, we say sorry. As children we were taught to say sorry, Prime Minister.

The real reason we need an apology from the Prime Minister for his comments yesterday is this: the most grotesque element of his display was not that it was as a result of overheated debate or passion, but that it was calculated. It is part of a game plan to push us into an election, whilst he tries to push the country over a no deal cliff-edge.

It won’t work. It won’t work because he is not as clever as he thinks he is, and because this is not the Oxford Union Debating Society. The whole country is watching parliament right now. They are listening to what we say and how we say it.

Along with many other MPs in Westminster yesterday, I offered the Prime Minister in simple terms the opportunity to apologise. I did so again today, not in order to score a political victory but because this country is motoring towards a dark and dangerous place. And he has his foot on the accelerator.

For the good of the country, the Prime Minister must realise it is not too late to change course. To change the terms of our debate. To save the country from that dark destination on the near horizon. He can still become part of the solution, not just the cause of the problem. But not before he apologises to the House, and to the country.