Scotland Times

Saturday, Feb 22, 2025

Charity worker who heckled PM says ‘Boris thinks we are stupid’

An impassioned charity worker who heckled Boris Johnson during a speech has been left ‘furious’ since the PM decided to suspend Parliament.

Ben Gilchrist, 41, made headlines on Friday afternoon when he shouted ‘get back to Parliament’ at the prime minister, before security dragged him out of the Rotherham, South Yorkshire, venue.

Video footage shows Ben being wrestled out of the Convention of the North conference after shouting: ‘Why are you not with them [MPs] in Parliament, sorting out the mess you’ve created? Why don’t you sort it out Boris?’ Ben, who works for a Manchester-based charity, told Metro.co.uk he snapped when Mr Johnson praised the ‘transformative potential’ of local MPs and leaders.

The charity worker said: ‘The moment that triggered me was when he said how much he valued local representatives and people. ‘That’s the moment I lost my patience and challenged him – telling him to go back to Parliament. ‘I thought, this is ludicrous. He must think we are as stupid as he is entitled. ‘It was a spur of the moment thing. I thought I’ve got to do something.’

Ben, who is based in Old Trafford, said he was ‘absolutely outraged’ over the PM’s decision to suspend Parliament until October 14. Many critics have argued it was done in a bid to force through a no-deal Brexit, leaving little more than two weeks until the October 31 deadline.

After hearing the news, ‘non-violent activist’ Ben was one of thousands to take to the streets and protest against the controversial move. ‘I wasn’t doing it as a pro or anti-Brexit protest, it’s more about my passion for democracy – that’s what I object to,’ he added.

His comments come after Scottish judges ruled Mr Johnson’s proroguing of Parliament was unlawful, in a case which will be heard at the Supreme Court next week. Ben said it’s ‘appalling Boris is ignoring the law’ and was even more enraged the PM tried to make a joke out of the charity worker’s concerns, adding ‘it’s not funny’.

He said when he showed up to the conference and saw cameras, he knew there was a possibility the prime minister would be there and began to ‘psych’ himself up to say something.

‘I thought if I’m ever in a room where a minister is present, I need to be prepared to challenge them,’ he added. ‘I had been thinking about it ever since the proroguing of Parliament – I have been so furious.’

Ben, who has worked in the voluntary sector for most of his life, said he wanted to stand up for charity workers who are often overlooked and forgotten.

‘At events like this they just don’t think or remember there are all these voluntary groups doing amazing things,’ he continued. Ben said he was disappointed more people didn’t challenge the PM on his comments.

He added: ‘I hope there will be many many more hecklers to come.’

Newsletter

Related Articles

Scotland Times
0:00
0:00
Close
UK Island Orkney council to look at proposals to become territory of Norway
Woman Awarded Over £100,000 After Being Fired for Transgender Tweet
A provocative study suggests: Left-Wing Extremism and its Unsettling Connection to Psychopathy and Narcissism
A Real woman
Brand new security footage has just been released to the public showing the Active shooter Audrey Elizabeth Hale drove to Covenant Church School in her Honda Fit this morning, parked, and shot her way into the building
China's foreign ministry branch in Hong Kong urges British gov't to stop the biased and double standards Hong Kong report
Double standards: UK lawmakers attack EU chief over Ireland claims
Democracy? Not for UK. UK PM rejects Scottish independence referendum, cancel democracy in BVI
UK urged to brace for economic storm
Women's own body dissatisfaction appears to influence their judgment of other women's body sizes
Prince William To Move Family Into Cottage Near Queen Elizabeth II
BOOOOOOS: Tony Blair receives royal honour
Captured Britons sentenced to death in Ukraine
Barbados PM Mia A. Mottley among Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People
Today's headlines
"Just One Of the Boys In School:" Years That Shaped Prince Charles
BVI Premier Rubbishes Claim Of Causing COI Delay
Comments on "Human Intelligence in a Digital Age" - A brilliant Speech by MI6 Chief Richard Moore, and the elephants neglected in the room
Bitcoin: BoE Deputy Gov wants to cancel democracy and protect the banks with regulations which infringe on people’s freedom, independence and benefits they get from their own money.
What are the Pandora Papers?
Taiwan-China relations at their 'worst in 40 years'
The attempt to hold Epik.com accountable for the content of its clients' websites is like blaming Gutenberg for the NYT's fake news that dragged the US into the pointless war against the nuclear weapons Iraq never had
×