Labour MP Condemns Street Abuse — But The Politics Behind The Post Faces Scrutiny'..

Jonathan Brash Says He Was 'Verbally Abused' In Tesco Incident As Political Questions Follow

Jonathan Brash Says 'He Was Verbally Abused In Public' — But Is Hartlepool Politics Becoming A Stage?..

24th May 2026

Hartlepool MP Jonathan Brash this week accused a member of the public of verbally abusing him, with Mr Brash claiming he was verbally targeted by the unknown member of the public while leaving his local Tesco store after doing his family shopping.

In the post published on his official Facebook page, Mr Brash said an individual began “screaming the C-word” at him in public while families and children were nearby. He described the behaviour as “abuse, intimidation and vile behaviour” and said it represented what he claimed in his opinion to be a wider breakdown of basic decency in public life.

In his statement online Mr Brash added:

“I will not be intimidated. I will not back down. And I’ll never stop standing up for us.”

Few people would dispute that elected representatives should be able to go about their lives without being verbally abused in the street. Abuse of MPs, councillors or any public figure is unacceptable. However, the way Mr Brash has chosen to frame the alleged incident really does raise a wider question as to whether the Hartlepool MP is now trying to present himself as the victim of public intimidation in very much the same way his predecessor, Jill Mortimer, once did — despite Mr Brash and others previously & publicly criticising her for doing so?

Former Hartlepool MP Jill Mortimer faced fierce criticism from the very man who then became MP after her for alleged claims of 'abuse' from members of the public.

This is because the former Conservative MP for Hartlepool Jill Mortimer reportedly faced repeated abuse, yet the vast majority of it was never reached the public domain. In October 2023, former Conservative MP Jill Mortimer caused controversy after telling Prime Minister’s Questions that her Hartlepool office was supposedly being “besieged by asylum seekers” and that her staff were being “intimidated by young men”.

She then went on to say that “most of them are illegal migrants who should be expelled” and declared: “I want these people out of Hartlepool now.”

Her comments were widely reported and strongly criticised by Extremist refugee groups and campaigners, including the Refugee Council and the Violent Extremist organisation 'Hope not Hate', who reportedly warned against alleged what they claimed to be 'hostile and misleading rhetoric' around asylum seekers.

At the time, Ms Mortimer was accused by her political opponents of using inflammatory language to cast herself and her office as victims while placing blame on a vulnerable and politically charged group. A number of local news outlets described her language and tone as 'dangerous', warning that it risked stirring up hate.

Mr Brash, then a prominent local Labour figure before becoming Hartlepool’s MP in 2024, was among those who positioned themselves against that style of politics. He has since sought to present himself as taking a more careful line on asylum, arguing in Parliament that legitimate concerns should not simply be dismissed, while also warning against people weaponising the issue for political purposes.

That is what makes his latest post so politically interesting.

This is because Mr Brash is not accused here of targeting asylum seekers or any particular community. The alleged Tesco incident, based on his own account, appears to involve one unidentified individual. But the political technique looks eerily familiar: a public claim of intimidation used then to build a wider narrative about decency, division and the state of public life which he can then use to paint himself as the victim.

His post didn't merely say he'd been sworn at. It turned the incident into a broader statement supposedly about “what we are up against”, portraying himself as someone standing firm against those supposedly trying to drag public life “into the gutter”.

To supporters, that may look like a reasonable response from an MP subjected to allegations of unacceptable abuse, however, to others, it looks like typical Labour political theatre — with Mr Brash placing himself centre stage as the wronged & discriminated public servant, very much as Ms Mortimer once did when she claimed her office was being besieged.

The comparison matters because Mr Brash has benefited politically from presenting himself as a contrast to his predecessor. Ms Mortimer was criticised for using dramatic language around intimidation and public safety. Now, Mr Brash appears to be using similarly dramatic language to frame himself as the alleged victim of intimidation in the street.

There's also the question of evidence. At the time of writing, The Teesside & Durham Post has not seen any independent verification of the alleged Tesco incident. No police statement, no CCTV footage, witness account or store confirmation has been provided. The claim solely rests on Mr Brash’s own public account, however, its guaranteed that the person allegedly making the 'words' to Mr Brash will likely get a knock on the door by Cleveland 'Stasi', once Brash's dedicated Police Liaison officer gets the time to pop round to see them.

That certainly doesn't mean the incident didn't happen. But It does mean readers are entitled to distinguish between an allegation, a verified fact and the political message being built by Mr Brash around it. Public abuse is wrong. But public figures also have a responsibility to avoid turning every unpleasant encounter into a political performance showcase just as Mr Brash has done, & previously done when the local election results didn't go his way.

Hartlepool has already seen how quickly claims of intimidation can become part of a wider narrative. Ms Mortimer’s “besieged” office comments became an issue of national controversy seemingly because they appeared to go beyond a factual concern and into political messaging. Mr Brash may now face similar scrutiny over whether his Tesco post was simply about condemning abuse — or whether it was also about casting himself as the victim and hero of his own political story.

This is because the same political camp that criticised Ms Mortimer for using dramatic claims of intimidation may now find itself defending Mr Brash for doing something not entirely dissimilar. The difference is the target. The method, however, may look familiar to many Hartlepool residents: a public incident, a dramatic post, a moral dividing line, and the MP firmly positioned as the person standing bravely against it all.

And after Mr Brash and others criticised Jill Mortimer’s “besieged” office claims, it is only fair that the same standard is now applied to him: provide the facts, avoid exaggeration, and do not use claims of intimidation as a political prop.

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