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29 May 2022 · Conservative · MP for Bassetlaw

Excerpt

Off to the footy.

Brendan Clarke-Smith posted a supermarket photograph and joked that buying sandwiches and orange juice on his way to a football match might get him accused of breaking the law.

Brendan Clarke-Smith biography

Why it mattered

The joke played on the investigation into a lockdown-era Labour gathering in Durham where food had been served. It drew criticism at a time when the Conservatives were also dealing with the fallout from Partygate.

Sources

• Tory MP roasted for crass gag about Partygate scandal

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12 April 2022 · Conservative · Culture Secretary

Excerpt

If it had been left to Starmer, we would still be in lockdown now.

Nadine Dorries defended Boris Johnson after his Partygate fine, arguing that Britain would still be in lockdown if Keir Starmer had been in charge.

Nadine Dorries on X

Why it mattered

Dorries, then culture secretary, was among Johnson’s earliest public defenders after the fine. Her response tried to shift attention from the Downing Street gathering to the parties’ wider record on the pandemic.

Sources

• No prizes for guessing which MP was first to support PM over partygate

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22 July 2014 · Liberal Democrat · MP for Bradford East

What was posted

David Ward wrote that he would probably fire a rocket if he lived in Gaza. His post appeared during the July 2014 conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Why it mattered

The Liberal Democrats condemned the remark and Ward later apologised. The exchange brought a backbench MP’s personal social media comment into the party’s public response to the conflict.

Sources

• Lib Dem MP David Ward facing disciplinary action for Gaza tweets
• Lib Dem MP David Ward apologises over Gaza comments

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17 June 2019 · Scottish National Party · First Minister of Scotland (MSP)

Excerpt

I think he’ll probably find we think the same about him.

Nicola Sturgeon responded to a Boris Johnson remark about the SNP while he was running for the Conservative leadership.

Original post on X · Nicola Sturgeon on X

Why it mattered

The exchange drew attention because it put Scotland’s first minister and a contender for UK prime minister in a public argument over the state of the Union.

Sources

• Politics Home

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16 October 2018 · Conservative · MP for Plymouth Moor View

Excerpt

I’ll give you one chance at honesty.

Johnny Mercer challenged another Twitter user about a comment he believed had been made about his wife in the Plymouth Herald’s comments section.

Original post on X · Johnny Mercer on X

Why it mattered

The opening line became a meme because of its formal, confrontational tone. The resulting jokes repeatedly invoked the Plymouth Herald comment section, which was an unusually local setting for a national Twitter joke.

Sources

• This Tory MP Politely Offered A Twitter User “One Chance At Honesty” And, Houston, We Have A New Meme
• Here’s why the Plymouth Herald comments section is trending nationally

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14 October 2018 · Conservative · MP for Morley and Outwood

Excerpt

go down fighting

Andrea Jenkyns urged Brexit supporters to oppose Theresa May’s Chequers plan and used the hashtags #StandUp4Brexit and #ChuckChequers.

Andrea Jenkyns on X

Why it mattered

The tweet captured the pressure on May from within her own party. Its language about going down fighting also drew mockery from people who read it as an unusually combative way to describe trade negotiations.

Sources

• Conservative MP mocked after saying Britain must ‘go down fighting’ in Brexit negotiations
• Pro-Brexit ministers urged to quit to scupper Theresa May

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31 July 2018 · Conservative · MP for North West Leicestershire

Excerpt

Working hard for NW Leics in Westminster

Andrew Bridgen posted a photo of himself sitting at a Westminster desk and said he was working hard for his constituents in North West Leicestershire.

Andrew Bridgen on X

Why it mattered

Other Twitter users remixed the posed photograph. A routine constituency update became a visual joke, with the reposts doing much of the work of spreading it.

Sources

• Tory MP trolled with hilarious photoshops after posting bizarre tweet of himself sat at a desk to show he’s working hard’

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5 September 2025 · Labour · Deputy Prime Minister

What was posted

Angela Rayner posted images of her resignation letter after the independent adviser on ministerial standards reported on the stamp duty she had paid on a property purchase.

Original post on X · Angela Rayner on X

Why it mattered

Rayner resigned as deputy prime minister, housing secretary and deputy Labour leader. The X post shared the letter in her own words. The published government documents include the adviser’s findings and Keir Starmer’s reply.

Sources

• The adviser’s findings and the exchange of letters on GOV.UK
• Holyrood coverage reproducing the X post

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30 July 2024 · Reform UK · Leader and MP for Clacton

Excerpt

whether the truth is being withheld from us

Nigel Farage posted a video the day after the Southport attack, asking whether information about the suspect was being withheld.

Original video on X · Nigel Farage on X

Why it mattered

The video appeared while false claims about the suspect were circulating online. Farage later said he had been referring to claims made by Andrew Tate. Contemporary coverage documents the criticism the video drew, and written evidence to Parliament links to the original.

Sources

• ITV News on the video and the response
• PA reporting on Farage’s later explanation
• Written evidence to Parliament, paragraph 20

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9 December 2024 · Reform UK · MP for Ashfield

Excerpt

Try the Battle of the Somme.

Lee Anderson replied to a post asking what men had to deal with compared with periods, pregnancy and menopause.

Lee Anderson on X

Why it mattered

The reply was mocked on X and reposted across to Bluesky. The exchange drew attention because Anderson, an MP, answered a provocative social media question by invoking a First World War battle.

Sources

• Public Affairs Networking’s account of the X exchange
• The Poke’s roundup of the reaction

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