November 11, 2022 10.00 am This story is over 26 months old

“Sir Keir has hidden himself away”: Lia Nici slams Labour leader after Grimsby visit

The Labour leader came to Grimsby without informing the local MP

By Local Democracy Reporter

The MP for Great Grimsby has accused Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer of not “having the decency” to inform of his visit to her constituency on Thursday – suggesting he is “afraid of something”.

The Leader of the Labour Party visited the North East Lincolnshire port town on Thursday, meeting with leading renewable energy companies including Orsted – which operates the largest offshore wind farm in the world, off the coast of Grimsby.

Keir Starmer also outlined the importance of winning back the trust of voters in Grimsby, after the notorious Red Wall seat was won by the Conservatives in the 2019 General Election.

It was the first time since before the outbreak of the Second World War that Labour did not have an MP representing the Great Grimsby constituency, as Lia Nici earned the seat at the last election.

However, the MP for Great Grimsby was not best pleased with Starmer’s visit to her constituency, accusing the Leader of the Opposition of ‘hiding himself away’ without “the decency to inform me he was visiting”.

The House of Commons rules say that “by convention MPs intending to visit another constituency, other than on a purely private or personal matter, should inform the relevant MP.”

Lia Nici took to social media on Thursday evening to share her thoughts on the visit, criticising Keir Starmer for talking about Grimsby’s offshore wind energy “like it’s a new discovery”.

She said: “So Sir Keir has hidden himself away in Grimsby today without his office having the decency to inform me he was visiting the constituency until after he’d departed.

“This is the second time he has done this. Do you think he’s afraid of something?

“He talks about Grimsby and offshore wind energy like it’s a new discovery! Well, perhaps that’s how Labour feel about it. It’s about time they caught up.”


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