Hartlepool MP 'Apologises' After PMQs Outburst..
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Labour MP Jonathan Brash Apologises for Commons Outburst as Labour Faces Growing Pressure in Hartlepool..
5th June 2026
Hartlepool Labour MP Jonathan Brash has this week apologised to members of the public after his behaviour during Prime Minister’s Questions led to a sharp warning from the Speaker of the House of Commons.
Mr Brash was told to stop shouting from the Labour benches as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage questioned the Prime Minister over the death of Henry Nowak and concerns about what Mr Farage described as “two-tier policing”.
The heated exchange took place during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, 3 June, when the Speaker intervened directly and warned the Hartlepool MP:
“Order. Mr Brash, this is a very important question, and I want to hear the Prime Minister’s answer. If you want to carry on, go outside please.”
Mr Brash has now issued a statement acknowledging that his conduct was inappropriate and confirming that he apologised to the Speaker afterwards.
In a post published on social media, the Hartlepool MP said:
“I hold my hands up. I should not have done it, and I apologised to the Speaker afterwards.”
However, Mr Brash said he wanted to explain why he had reacted so strongly.
He accused Mr Farage of ignoring the wishes of a grieving father and using the death of Mr Nowak to inflame anger and division. Mr Brash said he had become “incensed” after seeing the Reform UK leader apparently “smirking and laughing” as the Prime Minister urged him to respect the wishes of Henry Nowak’s family.
Mr Brash added:
“We must get justice for Henry. We must understand what went wrong. And we must fix it.
“But none of that will be achieved by exploiting a family’s grief or setting people against one another.”
He concluded his statement by accusing the Reform leader of knowing only how to divide the country, adding: “Shame on him.”
Political Tensions Continue to Rise
The apology comes at a difficult time for Labour in Hartlepool, where the party one of it's most humiliating defeats in the local elections last month with Reform UK taking every one of the 12 council seats being contested across the borough, including all the seats previously held by Labour that were up for election. The result removed Labour from control of Hartlepool Borough Council and allowed Reform to form a minority administration.
The scale of the defeat was particularly significant because Hartlepool has traditionally been regarded as an important Labour battleground. Mr Brash himself reacted angrily to the election results, calling on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to set out a timetable for his departure after Labour councillors suffered major losses across the town one of which was Mr Brash's wife, Pamela Hargreaves. The latest incident is therefore likely to intensify scrutiny of the Hartlepool MP at a time when Labour is attempting to understand why so many voters in traditional working-class areas have turned away from the party.
Increasingly Bitter Labour-Reform Rivalry
Mr Brash has repeatedly criticised Mr Farage and Reform UK in recent months, while Reform’s growing presence in Hartlepool has created an increasingly confrontational local political atmosphere. Supporters of Mr Brash argue that his outburst reflected genuine anger over an exceptionally sensitive case involving the death of a child.
His critics, however, have questioned whether shouting across the Commons chamber was an appropriate way for an elected representative to respond, particularly when the Speaker was attempting to ensure that the Prime Minister’s answer could be heard.
Mr Brash has now accepted that his conduct crossed the line.
It comes as support for Mr Brash has dropped to its lowest level, with election projections suggesting if a General Election was to be held tomorrow, Hartlepool would again see the political pendulum swing, this time to Reform UK, ending Brash's 1st & only term as Labour MP.
