Rayner demands action against Tories over US Capitol violence comments

Labour’s Angela Rayner has written to Conservative chair Amanda Milling demanding action against Tories who made comments relating to the violent scenes seen at the US Capitol yesterday.

The opposition party deputy leader has highlighted the tweets, which she described as “absolutely unacceptable” and “extremely dangerous”, by a Welsh Senedd member and the Tory group leader of the Greater London Assembly.

The GLA’s Susan Hall, in a post since deleted, said: “I am flabbergasted at the amount of Remainers screaming on Twitter that Trump voters should respect democracy – err hellooo – pot – kettle spring to mind!”.

Quoting Keir Starmer, Andrew RT Davies tweeted: “To be honest I’m not sure you’re in the strongest position right now given you campaigned to overturn democracy and the will of the British people.”

Both were referring to the campaigns, supported by many Labour and opposition MPs as well as some Tories, for a fresh public vote after 2016 on the matter of whether the United Kingdom should leave the European Union.

Rayner has said she is “deeply concerned” by the elected representatives having “equated democratic debate in the UK with an armed, violent and fundamentally anti-democratic assault on the US legislature”.

Supporters of Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol to violently disrupt proceedings yesterday, after the President falsely claimed the presidential election had been “stolen” and encouraged Republicans to “fight” and “be wild”.

After Congress certified Joe Biden’s victory, the President said: “Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th.”

Labour’s deputy leader has asked the Conservative Party to “immediately condemn” the comments, “launch an urgent inquiry”, “suspend” and stop them from standing as Tory candidates in the May elections.

Susan Hall has been a GLA member since 2017 and leader of the London Conservatives since 2019. South Wales Central representative Andrew RT Davies was leader of the Welsh Tories from 2011 to 2018.

Below is the full text of Angela Rayner’s letter to Amanda Milling.

Dear Amanda,

I am writing to you regarding statements made by Conservative Welsh Senedd Member Andrew R T Davies and Susan Hall, Leader of the Conservative Group on the Greater London Assembly, following violence in Washington DC at the US Capitol.

I am deeply concerned that two Conservative elected representatives have equated democratic debate in the UK with an armed, violent and fundamentally anti-democratic assault on the US legislature, during which people lost their lives.

These statements are absolutely unacceptable, extremely dangerous and must not be allowed to stand. To equate peaceful democratic debate in the UK with deadly violence in the USA validates the violence that we have seen in Washington DC, serves to legitimise and incite violence in our own country and undermines our democracy and democratic processes.

I hope that you would agree that these inflammatory comments have absolutely no place in British political debate, and that you will distance the Conservative Party from the suggestion made by your elected representatives that people who disagree with democratic decisions are justified in taking violent action in an attempt to resist or overturn them.

Will you immediately condemn these comments, launch an urgent inquiry into these two elected representatives, suspend them from membership of the Conservative Party and ensure that they are not able to stand as Conservative candidates in the May elections?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours Sincerely

Angela Rayner MP