A group of MPs sparked fury today after they were seen dancing in Parliament amid the deepening crisis in the Middle East.
Strictly Come Dancing stars Angela Rippon and Alex Kingston led more than 40 MPs in a ‘cha-cha-cha’ across Westminster’s Portcullis House.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House of Commons, danced with Rippon in an event to promote the advantages of dance for the nation’s health and wellbeing.
But some parliamentarians criticised the timing of the event in the wake of the US and Israeli strikes on Iran, which have plunged the Middle East into chaos.
Iran has continued to lash out with retaliatory missile and drone attacks across the region, sparking fears of a wider conflict.
Reform UK MP Lee Anderson told the Daily Mail: ‘I walked into Portcullis House this morning and thought I’d walked straight into Michael Jackson‘s ‘Thriller’ video.
‘Whilst the world is on the brink of World War Three, these dancing MPs have made it quite clear that the lunatics have taken over the asylum.
‘At least we’ve got a 5 per cent pay rise to look forward to,’ Mr Anderson added, in a reference to the inflation-busting salary hike that MPs will get in April.
Strictly Come Dancing stars Angela Rippon and Alex Kingston led more than 40 MPs in a ‘cha-cha-cha’ across Westminster’s Portcullis House
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After Mr Anderson also branded the MPs ‘morons’, Labour’s Jonathan Brash said: ‘Under Reform we are to be miserable at all times, call each other names as often as possible and reject joy as a point of principle.’
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) this week said MPs’ basic salary will rise to £98,599 a year from next month.
It also said it was aiming to move towards a salary of around £110,000 by the end of the Parliament, due in 2029.
IPSA added it had taken into account that MPs in Westminster were faced with more ‘abuse and intimidation’ and rising constituency casework when considering the rise.
The group of more than 40 MPs on Wednesday morning stepped and twirled under the glass atrium of Portcullis House under the direction of Strictly star and choreographer Kai Widdrington.
New Green Party MP Hannah Spencer, shadow culture secretary Nigel Huddleston, Conservative MP Caroline Nokes and Labour’s Kim Leadbeater were among the parliamentarians practising their footwork alongside former Strictly contestant Kingston and ex-judge Dame Arlene Phillips.
Before the dance class, Rippon said dance was ‘such a valuable tool in getting the nation healthy’ and saving the NHS money.
She said dance could help cure medical conditions and tackle the obesity and mental health crises.
