Brexit – and Grenfell – reveal two faces of Theresa May within a single day
Former prime minister Theresa May seemed to have developed a backbone when she stood up to Boris Johnson over his Brexit u-turn – but that’s only if you haven’t noticed her betrayal of the dead of Grenfell, that happened less than 24 hours before.
As the Johnson government introduced new legislation into Parliament, contradicting the withdrawal agreement that Johnson himself negotiated and signed, Mrs May had this to say about it:
Former Tory prime minister Theresa May furiously tell her own party, 'You are big fat liars, so why would anyone in the world ever trust you again? You filthy scamming scumbags!'#Torylies #WithdrawalAgreementUTurn pic.twitter.com/bbFBdzmShg
— Will Black 🐦🍓 (@WillBlackWriter) September 8, 2020
It was a principled stand, and won support in the social media from those of us who understood what she meant:
https://twitter.com/PippaCrerar/status/1303301686623174656
Theresa May asking Brandon Lewis how other countries can trust us if we are going back on international laws that this government signed up to. Remarkable that the previous Prime Minister has to ask such a question. Deeply worrying for our country.
— Bill Esterson (@Bill_Esterson) September 8, 2020
Ouch. From one PM to another…
Theresa May asks how the government can be trusted to stick to its agreements if Boris Johnson tears up the Withdrawal Agreement?
— Paul Brand (@PaulBrandITV) September 8, 2020
Theresa May becomes the most prominent critic of the government's plan to rewrite the interpretation of the NI Protocol.
In the Commons she asks how the government can be trusted by international partners if it does.
— Sam Coates Sky (@SamCoatesSky) September 8, 2020
Of course, there were some well-aimed barbs too:
https://twitter.com/Andrew_Adonis/status/1303301763416588289
But while we may praise Mrs May for her response to the withdrawal agreement, er… withdrawal, she has disgraced herself over the response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
May was prime minister when the London tower block was engulfed in flames, due to the fact that it was covered in highly-flammable cladding.
She said at the time that she would work to make sure no such tragedy ever happened again.
Well, cladding on another London block caught fire with the same effect between then and now – fortunately with no fatalities.
And yesterday, Mrs May happily voted to ensure that the recommendations of the Grenfell Inquiry – including the removal of such cladding from private and publicly-owned residential properties – will not be implemented by the government:
Last night, Theresa May was one of the 308 Tory MPs who voted down the Grenfell Tower inquiry recommendations https://t.co/Fyc0gIJTSy
— David__Osland (@David__Osland) September 8, 2020
“We must ensure such a tragedy never happens again. We, in Parliament, must do all we can to help them.” Theresa May just voted against implementing the Grenfell Inquiry recommendations. Never trust a Tory.
— Hasan Patel 🌹 (@CorbynistaTeen) September 8, 2020
We cannot praise her comments on Brexit without condemning her actions on Grenfell.
I agree with Mr Patel (above):
Never trust a Tory.