South Northamptonshire Labour Party pushes back against claims made by Conservative councillor on BBC 5 Live radio

Conservative Councillor Alison Eastwood has drawn fire from the South Northamponshire's Labour party after suggesting people should be 'stoic' and 'get on with the job at hand' amidst the ongoing Downing Street party scandal.

The comments came after the councillor for Silverstone dialed in to Nicky Campbell’s BBC 5 Live radio programme to defend the Prime Minister on February 1.

Meeting with strong opposition by the other speakers on the show, Cllr Eastwood said that people should not be getting so upset over 'a piece of cake and a couple of bottles of wine'.

Instead she proposed that Boris Johnson was the only person with the strength of will to push Britain's interests forward.

Cllr Eastwood said: “I’ve talked to several people… the interesting thing is they live close to the ground.

"Most of them are farmers or associated with the farming community, or they work in light-weight industry, and what they have said is look we’re angry, we’re disappointed but we need to get on with it.

"There are major issues in the world that have got to be handled. We may have slipped down the table but we are still a voice at it and Boris has shown himself very capable of standing up against a lot of people.

"Let’s put this behind us, be stoic as we were in the Second World War and move on and get on with the job at hand.

"We're getting angry and even this morning you can hear it in everybody's voice; the anger over a piece of cake and a couple of bottles of wine. Move on."

In relation to the Prime Minister, the councillor said: “We need, usually, slightly outrageous people in government to actually shape government."

Cllr Eastwood's comments have drawn the ire of both members of the Labour Party and certain constituents, who thought that the Conservative was minimising the sacrifices '100,000 families' had made during the pandemic, as was quoted on the show.

Labour Councillor Emma Roberts, who is deputy leader of West Northamptonshire's Labour Party, said: "This is another in a series of releases from Conservative representatives and politicians suggesting they know what the people in the area are thinking, and then the people in their area suggesting, quite frankly, they do not.

"Many will not sit by as lies from our leaders become the norm. It cannot be allowed."

A spokesperson from South Northamptonshire Labour Party said: "These crass comments miss that while drinks parties took place at the heart of government, ordinary people were unable to comfort dying relatives.

"It is very concerning that a West Northants councillor is prepared to defend the indefensible.

"The Prime Minister is driving a coach and horses through democracy, rule of law and common decency, and our local Conservative Councillors are incapable of providing moral or civic leadership.

"Local councillors need to do a better job at representing public opinion in their area, rather than simply trotting out party lines and offering absurdities in order to defend this decaying national administration."

The government has said that an updated report on the Downing Street parties will be released once the police's investigation concludes.