The pro-Remain, pro-privatisation Labour MP, Angela Smith – who has made no secret of her hostility towards Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the party – was left humiliated yesterday after a publicity stunt to deliver a petition supporting a second referendum to the Labour Party Headquarters in London ended in spectacular failure.
On Friday, Labour MP Angela Smith is said to have signalled her intention to deliver a petition demanding the Labour leadership back a so-called People’s Vote – signed by over 45,000 people – to Labour HQ.
In response, Labour claim that they told Smith to simply to email over the petition electronically because they do not accept hand-delivered petitions for security reasons.
However, after apparently ignoring the advice, the Labour MP went ahead and attempted to deliver the petition – which somehow managed to fill four entire boxes despite being an online petition – in person to Labour HQ on Monday.
Smith’s hilariously failed publicity stunt was documented in excruciating detail by ITV’s Political Correspondent, Daniel Hewitt, in an increasingly embarrassing Twitter thread.
Hewitt’s thread begins promisingly, stating:
“Labour MP @angelasmithmp is handing in a petition with more than 45,000 signatures to Labour Party HQ calling on @jeremycorbyn to back a @peoplesvote_uk. She says MPs shouldn’t be “bribed” with money for their constituencies because Brexit will cost more than the PM can offer.”
However, things quickly began to turn sour:
“Right now there’s a problem actually handing the petition in because no one from the Labour Party has come down to collect it…we’ve been here ten minutes.”
And fifteen minutes later, Hewitt went on to clarify that:
“Labour MP @angelasmithmp HAS NOT handed a petition into the Labour Party calling for @jeremycorbyn to back a @peoplesvote_uk because the Labour Party won’t take it. They’ve asked her to send it an an email. Bizarre scenes.”
Following the debacle, a Labour spokesman responded by claiming Smith was informed on Friday that:
“For the safety and security of staff members, the Labour Party does not accept hand-delivered petitions. Anyone who informs us of an intention to do so is asked to send it through electronically.”
Labour MP @angelasmithmp is handing in a petition with more than 45,000 signatures to Labour Party HQ calling on @jeremycorbyn to back a @peoplesvote_uk. She says MPs shouldn’t be “bribed” with money for their constituencies because Brexit will cost more than the PM can offer. pic.twitter.com/IyJBCL9SjK
— Daniel Hewitt (@DanielHewittITV) February 11, 2019
Right now there’s a problem actually handing the petition in because no one from the Labour Party has come down to collect it…we’ve been here ten minutes. pic.twitter.com/qYrTK21jKJ
— Daniel Hewitt (@DanielHewittITV) February 11, 2019
So to clarify: Labour MP @angelasmithmp HAS NOT handed a petition into the Labour Party calling for @jeremycorbyn to back a @peoplesvote_uk because the Labour Party won’t take it. They’ve asked her to send it an an email. Bizarre scenes. pic.twitter.com/czVFKUPj4p
— Daniel Hewitt (@DanielHewittITV) February 11, 2019
Labour responds. A source says: “For the safety and security of staff members, the Labour Party does not accept hand-delivered petitions. Anyone who informs us of an intention to do so is asked to send it through electronically.” I understand Angela Smith was told this on Friday.
— Daniel Hewitt (@DanielHewittITV) February 11, 2019
Smith has since responded by confirming that “there was a conversation” with Labour staff beforehand, but claimed that she was told she could deliver the petition in person to Labour HQ:
There was a conversation but we were told that we could deliver the petition and hand it in at the desk.
— Angela Smith (@angelasmithmp) February 11, 2019
Even before yesterday’s debacle, it is safe to say that Smith wasn’t exactly held in high regard by the Labour membership, having lost a vote of no confidence by her constituency party in November.
Smith has also long been criticised by Labour members over her links to private water companies – with some even claiming that an article written by the Penistone and Stockbridge MP in October, which strongly advocates against her own party’s policy of Water renationalisation, was proof of effective lobbying by private water firms.
Smith has also previously written in favour of fracking – an environmentally damaging gas extraction method which has been proven to cause earthquakes – and has generally voted against further regulation of the highly controversial industry.
