Tories in new Twitter storm over video of Labour’s Jess Phillips

The video, posted by the Tories’ Twitter account, surrounds the parliamentary candidate appearing on ITV’s Good Morning Britain to promote her new book, and features presenter Susanna Reid asking the Labour politician about MPs keeping promises.

In the edited clip she can be heard saying: “You can never, ever deliver all of those things that you are pretending to deliver when you go to the electorate.”

It is dated November 21, 2019, but it actually originally aired before an election was called – back on October 3rd.

The clip only briefly reappeared on television again during an interview with shadow education secretary Angela Rayner.

https://twitter.com/CCHQPress/status/1197472340319318016

Phillips said: “I think there is an argument to be said that you can never, ever deliver all of those things that you are pretending to deliver when you go to the electorate.

“In reality, things change. Globally things change, situations change. Facts change.

“We can’t deliver it in all cases. I can’t control the trade war between America and China and I have to, each and every day, and at the moment it is on a day-by-day basis and it is not good, and I have to say, ‘what is the best thing, the best decision I can make today to make sure my constituents are better off?”‘

The video also labels Phillips a “Corbyn ally” despite the Birmingham Yadley candidate being a vocal critic of the Labour leader in the past.

She has previously said she would consider running for leader, and said he wasn’t the “practical choice” for leader because people would not vote for him.

Criticising their latest social media controversy, Phillips said the Tories had shown themselves to be “serial liars”.

She told the Independent that in the clip she had been talking specifically about Brexit.

She said: “It is totally misleading to share it in this context, but I can’t say I’m shocked because Boris Johnson and his party have shown themselves to be serial liars.

“I realise they wouldn’t recognise a politician speaking honestly, so it must be difficult for them.

“Nothing that was in the Tory manifesto has been delivered, so they really don’t have a leg to stand on anyway.”The edited video has been criticised on Twitter after it was posted by the Tories.

“How is this happening? This is falsified propaganda, dangerous and illegal” said Adam Keyworth.

“They’re openly lying to you because they think you’re stupid. Don’t let them get away with it” wrote Kieran Hurley.

“This clip is from October. Stop lying,” said another.

It’s not the first time the Tories have been accused of misleading the public with a video. A senior Tory said they “went too far” by doctoring a video of shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer.

Twitter and the Conservative Party did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the video.