January 18, 2022 10.51 am This story is over 26 months old

Grimsby MP “wholeheartedly” backs PM, despite lockdown party-gate

“What we’ve got to remember is that he’s a renegade”
Grimsby MP Lia Nici with Boris Johnson.
By Local Democracy Reporter

MP for Great Grimsby Lia Nici has voiced her backing to the Prime Minister, despite growing pressure and calls for him to resign, saying he was “badly advised” over the attending of lockdown parties at Downing Street.

The Prime Minister is under intense pressure, after discoveries of the government appearing to breach their own lockdown rules by hosting “bring-your-own-booze” parties at 10 Downing Street, while national COVID-19 restrictions were in place.

Boris Johnson admitted he had attended the party in the gardens of Downing Street on May 20, 2020, but still reiterated that it was a “work event” and insisted that people should not speculate while Sue Gray’s investigation is still ongoing.

Despite this, Northern Lincolnshire MPs are still showing their backing to Boris Johnson after he was forced into an apology during Prime Minister’s Questions last week.

Grimsby MP Lia Nici (Conservative)

Lia Nici is one of the Conservative MPs to profit from the Boris Johnson-led 2019 general election, where a number of ‘red wall’ seats, including Great Grimsby, moved over to Conservative power after decades of being a Labour stronghold.

There is unrest within the public, and one Skegness woman has set up a petition to ‘bring the Downing Street party-goers to justice’. It now has almost 90,000 signatures.

The Great Grimsby MP told ITV Calendar on Monday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is a “great visionary leader” and she believes that the PM needs better people around him rather than the blame being placed on Mr Johnson’s door.

“Obviously people are upset and disappointed that the PM was at that event, but I wholeheartedly defend him. I think he was very badly advised, clearly afterwards it came out that it looks like it’s been a party, when actually the PM wasn’t aware of that, and he thought people were working outside.

“I think the Prime Minister is a great visionary leader but what he needs is people who are properly line managing what’s going on day-to-day.

“What we’ve got to remember with the Prime Minister is that he is a renegade, he is somebody who will push through and make changes, and quite often the establishment doesn’t like that.

“I am there behind him to make sure the establishment changes and it changes for the better in places like Great Grimsby.”

As well as Lia Nici, Lincoln MP Karl McCartney has gone on record to back the Prime Minister, while also stating that he was not at any lockdown parties at Downing Street.