A Tory MP whose wife had their first child a week ago has spoken of the ‘horrific abuse’ by Left-wing trolls who targeted them after he clashed with Jeremy Corbyn in the Commons.
Business Minister Andrew Griffiths and his wife Kate, celebrating the birth of daughter Alice, were subjected to an appalling hate campaign, with one Corbynista troll telling Mrs Griffiths: ‘Hope your baby dies.’
The Mail on Sunday revealed the vile abuse four months ago, but did not disclose the couple’s name to protect mum-to-be Mrs Griffiths, who is in her late 40s.
With mother and child home safe and well, the Griffiths have now broken their silence – and, incredibly, revealed how the trolls have carried on attacking them even after little Alice was born.
Andrew Griffiths and his wife Kate are celebrating the birth of daughter Alice
After Burton MP Mr Griffiths announced her birth on April 11 at Burton’s Queen’s Hospital, a Twitter troll posted a comment on the MP’s Facebook page: ‘FFS. I was hoping this c*** wouldn’t breed.’
When shocked Mr Griffiths, 47, asked ‘What sort of person does that when someone is celebrating the birth of their child’, the troll replied: ‘Me.’
Many similar comments posted on the pro-Labour Burton News Facebook site are too obscene to reproduce in a family newspaper.
It is the latest in a series of scandals concerning social media abuse by Mr Corbyn’s supporters.
This newspaper revealed in December how online attacks on Mr and Mrs Griffiths started after the MP made a comment about the age of Mr Corbyn, 68, when the Labour leader attacked the Government’s treatment of the elderly. The Tory MP shouted: ‘That’s you!’
In an exchange broadcast live on television, angry Mr Corbyn said Mr Griffiths should be ‘called out’ for his ‘uncaring’ behaviour and jabbed his finger at him.
Fellow Labour MPs joined in, with one shouting: ‘Ageist!’ Mr Griffiths’s identity remained a mystery until Labour MPs named him on Twitter shortly afterwards.
It unleashed a torrent of abuse by hard-Left activists and Corbynistas. One said he would ‘spear’ Mr Griffiths while he was jogging; another said he would put his ‘head on a spike’ while others found out Mrs Griffiths was pregnant and began targeting her.
Staffordshire Police launched an investigation, which is ongoing.
Theresa May said at the time: ‘Threats of violence and intimidation are unacceptable and have no place in our politics. Everybody should be treated with tolerance, decency and respect.’ But her appeal was ignored by Burton News, which featured a post stating ‘We Are Labour’ and a photograph of Mr Corbyn.
The post – which appears to have been deleted from the website – urged people to protest against ‘shamed’ Mr Griffiths, who said yesterday: ‘The abuse Kate was subjected to was horrific. Thankfully, she handled it brilliantly and everything has worked out fine.’
Mr Griffiths, a former chief of staff to Mrs May, married Kate, who worked for the Burton Albion football club, four years ago. He added: ‘We never thought we’d be lucky enough to have children, so it’s all the more special. Alice is a little miracle and we are both totally over the moon.
‘It is very sad that no one and nothing is off limits for these sick Left-wing idiots. Everybody is fair game, from Jewish people to pregnant women and babies.’
Ironically, his ministerial responsibilities include paternity leave, but as the Government ‘rule maker’, he is one of the few fathers in the country not legally entitled to such leave.
However, Mrs May gave him special dispensation to have the usual two weeks off.
Mr Griffiths was summoned back to the Commons for last week’s key vote on the Syrian bombing raids, but he said it had not stopped him fulfilling his duties as a new dad: ‘I changed my first nappy and survived!’
A Burton News spokesman said last night: ‘We do not condone trolling and removed the abusive messages. Mr Griffiths does not like our page because we have criticised his voting record.’