A newly appointed Home Office minister sparked fury on the Tory right Wednesday after pictures were unearthed showing her taking the knee during the Black Lives Matter protests.
Laura Farris lent her voice against racism
Laura Farris, the MP for Newbury, said how it was important MPs and other public figures ‘are there with the community showing their support’ in the fight against racism in 2020.
She attended the event in the Berkshire town in June 2020 in a mask during the Covid pandemic, less than a month after the murder of George Floyd by police in the US city of Minneapolis sparked worldwide protests.
Tories didn’t like her action
But her actions have caused disquiet with Tories on the Right of the party.
One MP told the Daily Mail: ‘We all remember when she took the knee.
‘It was a shocking error of judgment and many remember it vividly. Many traditional supporters and new voters will look at it in despair.’
She said she did what is respectful
Ms Farris is a supporter of Mr Sunak who voted against Boris Johnson in a Commons confidence vote last year, after accusing the then prime minister of presiding over a culture that facilitated ‘unethical and disastrous parties’ in lockdown.
The 45-year-old mother of two, who once worked for US democrat presidential challenger Hillary Clinton, joined ‘hundreds of others… to take a stand against racism and inequality’ at the event in a Newbury park.told the Newbury Weekly News she had ‘enjoyed’ the event in her constituency and urged others ‘to take a stand’.
She said: ‘I thought it was a great event and very well organised.
‘There was appropriate social distancing in place and overall I think it had a very respectful tone.
‘I think it’s really important that public representatives are there with the community showing their support’.
