Former Ealing Councillor Plays Part in Downfall of Liz Truss

Alex Stafford at centre of kerfuffle in the House of Commons

Alex Stafford is believed to have been at the centre of this scuffle. Picture: Twitter

A former Ealing councillor has played a key role in the final hours of the Liz Truss premiership after being at the centre of an altercation in the House of Commons.

35-year-old Alex Stafford represented Ealing Broadway ward before surprisingly winning the Rother Valley constituency in the 2019 election. The seat in South Yorkshire was one of the so-called Red Wall seats to fall when Boris Johnson was opposed by Jeremy Corbyn.

This Wednesday night (19 October) a vote had been called by Labour on the issue of fracking. Mr Stafford’s constituency is one in which a number of potential sites have been identified and polling shows it is extremely unpopular with his constituents.

In September 2020 Mr Stafford said in the House of Commons, “The Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive do not have the capacity to watch over every fracking site in the country, and few of us would trust the fracking companies to self-regulate and report any breaches. That is surely not acceptable to anyone.

“The idea that such companies may poison the water sources of my communities is terrifying and not a risk that the Government are willing to take. Equally petrifying are the seismic activity concerns caused by fracking.”

It is understood that government whips were initially telling MPs that the vote was a confidence issue and that any Conservative MP not voting against the motion would be subject to disciplinary action. This effectively meant Mr Stafford was being obliged to vote in favour of fracking.

Shortly before the vote, there was a scuffle in the Commons lobby at which Mr Stafford appeared to be at the centre. He is reported by eyewitnesses to have been in tears and shouted at Kelly Tolhurst that the government were losing him his seat and those of many of his colleagues. He also accused the government of not ‘getting their story right’ about whether this was a confidence motion or not.

At this point a number of people have reported that Mr Stafford, who attended St. Benedict’s School, was manhandled and that the crowd of people around him included the Deputy Prime Minister, Therese Coffey and the Business Secretary, Jacob Rees Mogg.

Chris Bryant, a Labour MP, who is Chair of the Committees on Standards and Privileges, says he witnessed the kerfuffle and recorded it on video. He is sending a copy to the Speaker of the House for further investigation.

Ian Murray, the Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, witnessed the events. He said, “I’ve never seen scenes like it at the entrance to a voting lobby. Tories on open warfare. Jostling and Rees Mogg shouting at his colleagues. Whips screaming at Tories. They are done and should call a general election. Two Tory whips dragging people in. Shocking.”

Mr Stafford tweeted afterwards that he had not been manhandled and that the only time he had every felt bullied as an MP was when Labour pictured his family in one of its campaign leaflets. He said, “This vote was never about fracking but about Labour trying to destabilise the country, and take control of Parliament. I had a frank and robust conversation outside the voting lobbies confirming my opposition to fracking.”

The following day a video was issued showing Jacob Rees Mogg giving him assurances about fracking in his constituency although some observers suggested it had the characteristics of a hostage video.

Appearance next day with Jacob Rees Mogg described as a 'hostage video'

It is widely believed that the incident was the final straw for many Conservative MPs who were losing confidence in the leadership of Liz Truss and several called for her to stand down. The following morning she met with Sir Graham Brady, the Head of the 1922 Committee, which represents Tory backbenchers. At 1.30pm on 20 October she announced her resignation.

October 20, 2022