Shropshire's Tory MPs remain silent over Sue Gray report
The county's Conservative MPs have remained silent after the publication of Sue Gray's report into lockdown-busting parties in Downing Street.
The long-awaited report was published earlier today but none of the county's Conservative MPs – Ludlow's Philip Dunne, Shrewsbury & Atcham's Daniel Kawczynski, the Wrekin's Mark Pritchard, or Telford's Lucy Allan – have commented, after requests from the Shropshire Star.
Montgomeryshire Conservative Craig Williams was also unavailable for comment.
Mrs Gray's report concluded that the "senior leadership" in Boris Johnson's Government must "bear responsibility" for the culture which led to coronavirus lockdown rules being broken.
It is understood that the MPs were invited to attend a meeting of the Conservative 1922 Committee, which is to be addressed by the Prime Minister this evening.
The Labour leader of Telford & Wrekin Council, Councillor Shaun Davies, called on MPs to act over the report's findings.
Writing on Twitter he said: "Conservatives MPs need to act if they don’t – they are turning their backs on those who elect them to save their party leader or advance their own cause.
"Time to be on the side of the many and not the advocate of the law breaking few."
Meanwhile Lichfield MP Michael Fabricant said that tackling the cost of living crisis can help "shattered" Boris Johnson regain the trust of British people.
He said: "I understand the outrage of many people in the West Midlands – especially those who have lost loved ones – to the events in 10 Downing Street.
"What is clear from the Sue Gray report is that the advice given to the Prime Minister regarding what was and was not legal in the workplace was wrong.
"Sue Gray acknowledges that there has been a complete change in the management structure at Number 10 which should prevent this from ever happening again.
"I just ask people to understand that these events all took place in a workplace where people had been working closely together all day.
"The reason they thought they were not breaking the rules is that they were not mixing with outsiders so would not be potentially spreading the disease."
Mr Fabricant added: "There is no question that Boris has been shattered by the whole experience and he knows he has lost the trust of many people.
"I believe, that in time, by tackling the cost of living crisis, the conflict in Ukraine and so many other challenges, trust can be regained in our PM."
