Dancing while the Middle East burns...MPs slammed for cha.cha.cha-ing in parliament amid Iran war
A group of MPs traded policy debates for dance moves when Strictly Come Dancing celebrities led a health-focused dance session in Parliament.
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Strictly Come Dancing stars Angela Rippon and Alex Kingston led more than 40 MPs in a 'cha-cha-cha' across Westminster's Portcullis House.
Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle danced with Rippon in an event to promote the advantages of dance for the nation's health and wellbeing.
But some parliamentarians criticised the timing of the event in the wake of the chaos in the Middle East after the US and Israel strikes on Iran
A group of more than 40 MPs stepped and twirled under the glass atrium of Portcullis House on Wednesday under the direction of choreographer Kai Widdrington.
New Green Party MP Hannah Spencer, shadow culture secretary Nigel Huddleston, Conservative MP Caroline Nokes and Labour's Kim Leadbeater were among the parliamentarians practising their footwork alongside former Strictly contestant Kingston, professional dancers Flavia Cacace and Neil Jones and ex-judge Dame Arlene Phillips.
But Reform UK's Nadhim Zahawi, a former Tory minister, called the event "a very bad look for Parliament when the Middle East is trying to free itself from a terrorist regime hell-bent on acquiring nuclear weapons that could put the United Kingdom at risk."
Zarah Sultana, the Your Party MP, said: "The optics of MPs doing Strictly Come Dancing in Parliament while the world teeters on the brink of World War Three is completely inappropriate."
Before the class, Rippon said: "Dance can be such a valuable tool in getting the nation healthy and saving money."
She urged politicians to encourage people to exercise, saying: "Collectively you can make a difference and individually in your constituencies you can do so much in supporting the dance teachers and the communities in your constituencies, helping them through dance, persuading all the GPs to use more social prescribing and write less expensive prescriptions."
The 81-year-old veteran broadcaster, whose Let's Dance initiative was inspired by her time on Strictly Come Dancing in 2023, said dance could help cure medical conditions, tackle the obesity and mental health crises and help older people.
"If we can get more people who are older to improve their core strength, their balance and their co-ordination and the strength in their legs, they will have less falls. Again we can save money on the NHS."
The campaign has been backed by Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who described it as having a positive impact on people's health and wellbeing, while helping to reduce the risk of developing serious illnesses.