A Brexit-supporting Conservative MP was harangued and called a “traitor” and a “liar” while giving an interview outside the Houses of Parliament.
David Davies, who has represented the Monmouth constituency in south Wales since 2005, was being questioned by a reporter from BBC Wales about the rise in abuse of MPs when he noticed that a woman was filming him.
He told the reporter he was going to turn on his body camera – which he wears to document incidents of abuse – and began to speak to the woman, who was wearing a headset microphone and was recording the MP’s interaction with the journalist.
After being asked to allow the interview to continue, the woman claimed she was simply quietly watching the exchange but then said: “I was just going to listen to what he was saying but now I can tell he’s a ‘remoaner’.”
After challenging Davies about whether he voted to remain in the EU – the 48-year-old supported leaving the union – the woman asked him why he was behaving like “such a snowflake”.
During an exchange that was filmed by the BBC crew and released on social media, the woman tells Davies, “you’re not acting like a Brexiteer”, prompting the MP to question her commitment to the cause.
Brexit supporting MP David Davies called a liar while giving TV interview https://t.co/gHL7MuDTTk pic.twitter.com/nJPD6dUFHX
— BBC Wales News (@BBCWalesNews) May 21, 2019
“I campaigned for Brexit, where were you?” he asks. “Where were you people when I was out campaigning for Brexit? You were nowhere. You were behind your keyboards and now you’ve come out.
“I actually have been campaigning for Brexit for years so I don’t need to be given lectures by people like you.”
After asking him whether he voted for Theresa May’s deal, which Davies did on its third reading, the woman tells him: “You are a liar. You did not vote to leave.
“Shame on you. You’re a traitor. You should feel uncomfortable. You’ve betrayed 17.4 million people.”
Speaking to camera, Davies says: “And that’s what you put up with when you’re out here all the time.”
The Welsh assembly member Alun Davies retweeted the video clip and praised the politician for his handling of the incident.
“But we also need a conversation about how we can disagree with each other, have a serious debate and rebuild our politics. In Wales and the UK,” he added.
David Davies replied saying he 100% agreed.
