Little Britain star Matt Lucas has called Conservative MP David Davies “racist” after the Tory MP sent out a tweet about the use of interpreters by the police.
Davies wrote:
appalling & discriminatory suggestion. Police could save fortune by not paying 4 interpreters 4 non English speakers https://t.co/WP16xUFh3f
— David TC Davies 🏴🇬🇧 (@DavidTCDavies) August 25, 2017
Davies was referring to a suggestion by the Metropolitan police force deputy commissioner Craig Mackey. Mackey said that victims whose first language isn’t English could get face-to-face visits from the police while, due to cuts, others may not in the future. But he also mentioned that other vulnerable people like the elderly or those with learning disabilities would also be prioritised. Although Davies didn’t voice his opinion about that element of the proposal.
“Racist MP”
Actor Lucas took exception to Davies’s tweet saying:
Fortunately we don't need a translator to tell us how fascistic this sounds https://t.co/9zV0gq2tyI
— Matt Lucas HQ (@RealMattLucas) August 26, 2017
And after a brief exchange of name-calling, Lucas declared Davies was a “Racist MP”.
Others weighed in, including a former “police colleague”, citing his lack of respect for diversity:
@DavidTCDavies As an ex police colleague of yours, I find your lack of respect for diversity appalling TBH.
— Steven Maguire 🟦 (@smaguire4621) August 26, 2017
And even a fellow Conservative MEP was afraid he’d taint the party’s image:
Just to be very clear – this certainly is not @Conservatives agenda – many of us are appalled at this suggestion by individual MP
— Sajjad Karim (@SHK_UK) August 26, 2017
And the Tory party have been accused of racism before. Recently, for instance, Anne Marie Morris MP was suspended from the party after she used the ‘n word’ in a speech.
Get a grip
Cuts to police services may also mean more station closures. And the number of police officers in the force are also falling. So it’s interesting Davies takes particular issue with face-to-face visits by non-English speakers. And it’s a shame he sees their potential vulnerability as too expensive. But the need for prioritisation has only come because Tory cuts to police service have made it necessary.
Get Involved!
– Read more policing articles on The Canary.
Featured image via Flickr
