Hucknall MP's 'incredibly insensitive tweet' slammed by town councillor after 'partygate' fines

A Hucknall councillor has hit out at town MP Mark Spencer for tweeting his support for Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the wake of he and the Chancellor Rishi Sunak being fined for breaking lockdown rules.
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Coun Jim Blagden (Ash Ind), who represents Hucknall Central on Ashfield District Council said Mr Spencer’s support for Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak was an insult to families who lost loved ones to Covid and were unable to attend funerals or comfort each other because of lockdown rules.

Coun Blagden himself was in that situation in May 2020, following the death of his grandson Aeron from cancer, when lockdown rules meant only 10 people were allowed at the funeral.

Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak have both faced calls to resign.

Coun Jim Blagden (left) has slammed Hucknall MP Mark Spencer for tweeting his support for the Prime Minister and the Chancellor after both were fined for breaking lockdown rulesCoun Jim Blagden (left) has slammed Hucknall MP Mark Spencer for tweeting his support for the Prime Minister and the Chancellor after both were fined for breaking lockdown rules
Coun Jim Blagden (left) has slammed Hucknall MP Mark Spencer for tweeting his support for the Prime Minister and the Chancellor after both were fined for breaking lockdown rules

But Mr Spencer tweeted: “The PM has apologised and taken responsibility for what happened in Downing Street.

"He and the Chancellor are delivering a growing economy during global challenges and delivering on the international security crisis we face.

"They have my whole support.”

An enraged Coun Blagden, who himself recently won his own battle against leukaemia, said: “Mark Spencer has shown how out of touch he is, it’s an insult to everybody who’s lives were so badly impacted by Covid.

"I know he has a highly paid job to protect as the Leader of the House of Commons and has been unequivocal in his unwavering support for an under-fire Prime Minister.

"But this beggars belief.

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"As a family we accepted Government rules that severely restricted attendance at Aeron’s funeral.

"It was so upsetting to tell family members they couldn’t attend a celebration of Aeron’s life.

"Telling them to stay away was an unbelievably difficult thing to do and members of my family found their own way of marking Aeron’s death.

“We held no wake – a chance to grieve together – no coffee, no cake, no time to reflect and support each other.

"There was no chance to swap stories of how Aeron had touched our lives.

"To find out a few years later, that the very person who set the rules that impacted us so much was partying is devastating.

"It’s crass, it’s unforgiveable, it’s appalling and to see our MP Mark Spencer just gloss over our pain is as crass as it’s insulting.

"I am calling for Mr Spencer to delete his tweet and ask Boris Johnson to consider his position.

"Mark Spencer has insulted us all and families up and down Hucknall, Nottinghamshire and across the country are quite rightly appalled.”

The Dispatch has contacted Mr Spencer’s office for comment.