"Where is Boris?": Labour MP Holly Lynch accuses PM of "dereliction of duty"
18 February 2020, 19:27
Labour MP Holly Lynch has called out PM Boris Johnson for "dereliction of duty" as there are almost 200 flood warnings remain in place, including six danger to life alerts.
The MP's comments come as #WhereIsBoris began to trend on Twitter today.
The politician for Halifax, West Yorkshire - who has started a petition to give Mr. Johnson - said that the government has not been the leading lights during the natural disaster as they were during floods of Boxing Day 2015.
She said: "We flooded so extensively back in those Boxing Days in 2015.
"Actually, we had a constructive working relationship with government after those floods. COBRA [Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms] met and met twice on Boxing Day that unlocked a degree of support and financial resources from across government.
"Where that then came through quite quickly to Calderdale, which allows people to start rebuilding with grants for affected residents and businesses. That contributed funding towards repairing our roads and our bridges that really quite critical.
"But unfortunately, we're just not seeing the same level of response this time. It doesn't appear that the Prime Minister's particularly interested COBRA has not met.
"And so we haven't had any of that same financial support that we saw in 2015."
Shelagh asked: "And you firmly believe that the Cobra - which is that sort of highest level organisational emergency, governmental, and you know, various agencies - meeting, you firmly believe that that should happen?"
The MP replied: "Yes, I do when I was very surprised that it didn't happen after storm Ciara. I absolutely can't believe that it didn't happen after storm Dennis."
She added: "I'm afraid I think it's a dereliction of duty from not to have done that at this point. I don't need him here rolling up the sleeves with a shovel.
"I need him to share that CORBA and to unlock that support and those resources."
Shelagh pointed out that he was out "sweeping rather badly mopping". The presenter added: "He looked like he never picked up a mop in his life. That's not necessarily his fault."
