Statement by The Rt Hon. Alec Shelbrooke, M.P. - 13th April 2022
“I know residents, like me, have been disappointed and angry at reports of lockdown gatherings in Whitehall. I told the Prime Minister this to his face when he apologised for what happened back in 2020.
Two years on, the biggest issue raised with me by constituents remains the rising cost of living - a result of the global pandemic and Putin’s abhorrent war on Ukraine. Indulging in a three-to-four-month internal party leadership election now, which would destabilise markets further and give Putin the instability he desires, will not address these immediate issues.
For me, notwithstanding my earlier frustrations, the world changed on 24th February 2022. Putin's barbaric assault on Ukraine has brought into focus where our priorities as a nation must be.
To those who say changing the Government won't alter the UK's relationship with Ukraine, I disagree. Boris Johnson has led the world's response to the war in Ukraine with military aid and economic sanctions, and in his own address to the House of Commons, President Zelenskyy of Ukraine said: “Thank you Boris for the leadership! Historical leadership. I'm sure of it.”
And I know there are some constituents who say a Labour Prime Minister would not alter the UK's support for Ukraine either; I would remind them that Keir Starmer spent four years trying to put Jeremy Corbyn into power: a man who wanted to end NATO's influence as a military alliance against aggressors, before adopting a policy of appeasement when Russian agents committed a chemical attack in Salisbury in 2018.
I understand the anger held by some of my constituents and I have relayed it directly to the Prime Minister in person. But, right now, I believe the Government needs to be focussed on the priorities of people here in Elmet & Rothwell as we tackle these new global pressures, and I intend to continue holding Ministers’ feet to that fire as a constituency Member of Parliament".