Political Tweets

4 October 2021 · Scottish National Party · MP for Edinburgh South West

What was posted

Joanna Cherry posted her position on trans rights and access to single-sex spaces, saying she opposed allowing people to gain access to those spaces by self-identification.

Joanna Cherry on X

Why it mattered

The exchange formed part of a wider dispute among SNP politicians about gender recognition. Kirsty Blackman subsequently shared a call for the party to expel Cherry, which drew a separate round of coverage.

Sources

• Aberdeen MP Kirsty Blackman in ‘expulsion’ row with SNP colleague Joanna Cherry – Press and Journal
• Holyrood

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1 May 2020 · Former Labour deputy leader · Former MP

Excerpt

Fair play. Great leadership.

Tom Watson praised Matt Hancock after the health secretary said the government had reached its target of 100,000 coronavirus tests a day.

Original post on X · Tom Watson on X

Why it mattered

The reply attracted criticism from the left while the government was under scrutiny over how it counted the tests. The Canary reproduced Watson’s reply in its reporting on that dispute.

Sources

• Tom Watson’s tweet to Matt Hancock is utterly vomit-inducing – Canary

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July 2025 · Labour · MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington

What was posted

Diane Abbott used the phrase “Jewish Defence Force” in a repost about Gaza. The report linked below preserves a screenshot of the deleted post.

Diane Abbott biography

Why it mattered

The description drew criticism for conflating the Israeli military with Jewish people. Abbott subsequently said Labour issued her a formal warning for a tweet she had posted, alongside the party’s decision to readmit her in 2026.

Sources

• Labour MP Deletes Tweet Condemning the ‘Jewish Defence Force’
• Dianne Abbott faces calls to lose whip after calling IDF ‘Jewish Defence Force’
• Diane Abbott re-admitted to Labour after suspension – as party gives veteran MP a formal warning

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26 April 2025 · Labour · MP for Norwich South

What was posted

Clive Lewis shared an X post from historian Louise Raw alleging that Sir Keir Starmer was taking money and orders from Israel. The post was removed.

Clive Lewis on X

Why it mattered

Labour described the message as containing incorrect and unacceptable tropes. The party said Lewis had apologised for the offence caused and reminded him of the standards expected of its representatives.

Sources

• Labour MP given formal reminder after sharing post about Israel
• Labour MP shares post accusing Prime Minister of ‘taking Israel’s money and orders’ – The Jewish Chronicle

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13 March 2024 · Conservative · MP for Lichfield

What was posted

Michael Fabricant shared an article about businessman and Labour donor Dale Vince that relied on an edited clip from Times Radio. Fabricant subsequently deleted his post.

Michael Fabricant biography

Why it mattered

In his public apology Fabricant said the full interview made clear that Vince did not support Hamas or its 7 October attacks. The apology sets out both the original claim and the correction in Fabricant’s own words.

Sources

• Tory Michael Fabricant Issues Public Apology To Labour Donor After Sharing Guido Fawkes Post
• Sir Michael Fabricant issues apology to Dale Vince

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19 July 2017 · Former Conservative MP · Writer and former MP

What was posted

Louise Mensch, a former Conservative MP, claimed on Twitter that Steve Bannon was being considered for the death penalty for espionage.

Original post on X · Louise Mensch on X

Why it mattered

She did not substantiate the claim in her post. It became widely cited as an example of the unverified claims about American politics that Mensch circulated on Twitter, and she was still defending it in 2019.

Sources

• Louise Mensch: ‘Death Penalty’ Still Considered For Bannon
• Louise Mensch makes bizarre claim that Donald Trump and Steve Bannon are facing the death penalty
• Mark Garnier’s ‘laughing’ gaffe: when politics and Twitter don’t mix

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13 November 2023 · Conservative · Foreign Secretary (appointed)

Excerpt

The Prime Minister has asked me to serve as his Foreign Secretary and I have gladly accepted.

David Cameron posted that Rishi Sunak had asked him to serve as foreign secretary and that he had accepted.

Original post on X · David Cameron on X

Why it mattered

It was an unusual return to government by a former prime minister. Cameron joined the Cabinet through a peerage, and his post set out the international challenges he expected to face.

Sources

• Braverman sacked as Cameron returns to cabinet – politics live
• The Rt Hon Lord Cameron – GOV.UK

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5 July 2022 · Labour · MP for Rhondda

Excerpt

They have been complicit throughout.

Chris Bryant called for an election after Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid resigned. He argued on Twitter that they should have left earlier and were complicit in keeping Boris Johnson in office.

Chris Bryant on X

Why it mattered

The tweet shows how a senior Labour MP responded to two Cabinet resignations. Bryant directed his criticism at the ministers who had supported Johnson as well as at Johnson himself.

Sources

• Two key ministers quit UK government in major blow to Boris Johnson

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25 May 2022 · Conservative · Cabinet minister

What was posted

Nigel Adams said Boris Johnson welcomed Sue Gray’s report into lockdown gatherings and had apologised again. He argued that the government should get back to work.

Original post on X · Nigel Adams on X

Why it mattered

Adams was a Cabinet Office minister and a Johnson ally. His response records one of the arguments supporters made publicly when the report was released.

Sources

• Boris Johnson Archives – Page 3 of 6 – The Stray Ferret
• PM statement to the House of Commons: 25 May 2022 – GOV.UK

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21 May 2018 · Labour · MP for Tottenham

What was posted

David Lammy posted a photograph of racist material he had received. He was publicly documenting abuse directed at him while speaking out about the Windrush scandal.

Original post on X · David Lammy on X

Why it mattered

The post is part of the record of abuse Lammy made public at the time. The archive links to the original and reporting without reproducing the racist imagery.

Sources

• Notorious Ex-Tory Councillor sparks fury after tweeting ‘Blackface’ image at BAME Labour MP David Lammy
• MP campaigning on behalf of Windrush migrants told to ‘stop knocking country down’

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