Esther McVey is under fire for a post to X where she responded to Keir Starmer's plan to ban smoking in places such as beer gardens, parks and outside hospitals and schools.
Esther McVey posted:
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a communist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
Pertinent words re Starmer’s smoking ban
After a wave of abuse and criticism Ms McVey posted her response to X.
Nobody is suggesting that banning smoking outside pubs can be equated with what happened to the Jews at the hands of the Nazis. It is ridiculous for anyone to even suggest that was what I was doing.
It is called an analogy - those who restrict freedoms start with easy targets then expand their reach.
I am pretty sure everyone understands the point I was making and knows that no offence was ever intended and that no equivalence was being suggested.
This new socialist government should send shudders down everyone's spine.
Imposing laws it has no mandate for, whether removing money from pensioners, removing freedoms from individuals - presiding over a 2 tier system of policing and justice.
I will not be bullied into removing a tweet by people who are deliberately twisting the meaning of my words and finding offence when they know none was intended. We already have too much of that politically correct bullying designed to silence any free speech they don't like. If they think I can be bullied in that way then they have picked the wrong target. Someone has to make a stand against the metropolitan politically correct bullies.
It is not my tweet people should be outraged about, but Starmer lying to get into power and then taking people for fools.
https://twitter.com/EstherMcVey1/status/1829222646317265152
https://twitter.com/EstherMcVey1/status/1829272301780508999
