CONSERVATIVE MP for Salisbury John Glen has criticised hip-hop trio Kneecap after footage emerged of one of the members reportedly telling concert goers to ‘kill their local MP’.

Counter-terrorism police are said to be assessing footage of the controversial hip-hop trio Kneecap at a concert in November 2023 that appeared to show one of the members saying “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”

The issue was brought up by the Salisbury MP John Glen in the House of Commons yesterday (April 29), where he highlighted the danger of comments such as these given that two MPs have been murdered in recent history – Sir David Amess in 2021 and Jo Cox in 2016.

“Every time I come into this house, I stand underneath the plaque of Jo Cox and I look over and see the plaque of David Amess and it seems impossible that within 10 years, two of our colleagues could have been murdered in that way,” he said.

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He added: “When I read the words, ‘The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP. Up the Hamas, up Hezbollah,’ I cannot see what time interval needs to take place for that to be deemed an offence.

“I recognise what the minister says entirely about these processes needing to happen independently, but speed of justice contributes to confidence in justice.

“As a former arts minister who worked to support masses of creative industries – with very few of them probably supporting me or my party – I’m very clear headed about the use of the music export growth scheme.

Dan Jarvis replying to Glen’s comments Picture: Parliament TV

“But I do hope that the honourable gentleman, who I know to be a very decent man, that in his work in defending democracy task force, will make sure proactively that all taxpayers’ money does not go to any organisation or creative group that produces language like that, that has such a negative effect on the way politics is conducted and the way that we’re seen in this place.”

Kneecap was previously given arts funding from the government – and last year the group won a discrimination case against the government and was awarded £14,250 after it withdrew arts funding for the band.

In reply to Glen’s comments, the Minister of State for Security Dan Jarvis (Barnsley North, Labour) said: “I agree with the right honourable gentlemen.

“He’s right – this has provided us with a moment to reflect. The words that he repeated are utterly vile and they make my blood boil.

“As a former senior minister himself, he will know the importance of the operational independence of the police, but I think he made his point in a very reasonable way.

“With regards to comments about funding, I think he’s absolutely right again, and that is why the secretary of state, as a matter of urgency, will now be looking into these matters.”

The trio go by the stage names of Móglaí Bap, DJ Próvaí and Mo Chara Picture: Kneecap

Following the fallout, Kneecap issued a statement on X where they apologised to the families of Sir David Amess and Jo Cox.

The statement reads: “To the Amess and Cox families, we send our heartfelt apologies, we never intended to cause you hurt.

“Kneecap’s message has always been — and remains — one of love, inclusion, and hope. This is why our music resonates across generations, countries, classes and cultures and has brought hundreds of thousands of people to our gigs.”

They added: “They want you to believe words are more harmful than genocide.

“Establishment figures, desperate to silence us, have combed through hundreds of hours of footage and interviews, extracting a handful of words from months or years ago to manufacture moral hysteria.

“Let us be unequivocal: we do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah. We condemn all attacks on civilians, always. It is never okay. We know this more than anyone, given our nation’s history.

“We also reject any suggestion that we would seek to incite violence against any MP or individual. Ever. An extract of footage, deliberately taken out of all context, is now being exploited and weaponised, as if it were a call to action.

“This distortion is not only absurd – it is a transparent effort to derail the real conversation.”