A Labour MP has defended taking part in a dance class in Parliament following a backlash at politicians doing the ‘cha-cha-cha’ amid the Middle East crisis.
Lee Pitcher was among a group of 40 MPs who sparked a row after being filmed twirling in Westminster’s Portcullis House on Wednesday.
They were led by Strictly Come Dancing stars Angela Rippon and Alex Kingston in an event to promote the advantages of dance for the nation’s health and wellbeing.
But other parliamentarians criticised the timing of the dance class in the wake of the US and Israeli strikes on Iran, which have plunged the Middle East into chaos.
Iran has continued to lash out with retaliatory missile and drone attacks across the region, sparking fears of a wider conflict.
Mr Pitcher, the MP or Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme, addressed the row in a Facebook post on Wednesday night.
The Labour backbencher, who entered the House of Commons at the 2024 general election, pointed out the class was held ‘before the day got underway in Parliament’.
He also highlighed how the event was organised by Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker, to promote how dance can support both physical and mental health.
A Labour MP has defended taking part in a dance class in Parliament following a backlash at politicians doing the ‘cha-cha-cha’ amid the Middle East crisis
A group of 40 MPs, including Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, sparked a row after being filmed twirling in Westminster’s Portcullis House on Wednesday
Lee Pitcher, the MP or Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme (pictured with Strictly Come Dancing star Angela Rippon), addressed the row in a Facebook post
Mr Pitcher wrote: ‘This morning, before the day got underway in Parliament, the Speaker invited MPs to get involved in in something a little different and genuinely uplifting, focussing on mental and physical health.
‘I’ve spoken in Parliament many times about suicide prevention, including leading the debate on World Suicide Prevention Day last year.
‘That passion comes from my own experience of losing my cousin to suicide, a loss that never really leaves you.
‘As part of Let’s Dance!, the UK-wide campaign led by Angela Rippon, we spent ten minutes learning first-hand how dance, as a means of exercise, can support both our physical and mental health.’
He added: ‘What initiatives like Let’s Dance! remind us is that mental health support doesn’t always start in a clinic or a hospital.
‘Sometimes it starts in community halls, dance studios, parks and local groups- places where people can move, connect, and feel part of something.
‘If something as simple as dancing can help someone feel a little less alone, a little more hopeful, or a little stronger in their recovery- then it’s something well worth championing.
‘Because mental health matters, and preventing suicide means building communities where people feel supported, connected and able to reach out for help.’
Lee Anderson, the Reform UK MP, was among those to have criticised the dance class in Parliament on Wednesday morning.
He told the Daily Mail: ‘I walked into Portcullis House this morning and thought I’d walked straight into Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ video.
‘Whilst the world is on the brink of World War Three, these dancing MPs have made it quite clear that the lunatics have taken over the asylum.
‘At least we’ve got a 5 per cent pay rise to look forward to,’ Mr Anderson added, in a reference to the inflation-busting salary hike that MPs will get in April.
After Mr Anderson also branded the MPs ‘morons’, Labour’s Jonathan Brash said: ‘Under Reform we are to be miserable at all times, call each other names as often as possible and reject joy as a point of principle.’
But Tory MP Andrew Murrison said the sight of fellow MPs dancing ‘at this difficult time’ was ‘appalling’.
He posted on X: ‘Optics appalling. I was in meetings in same building and thought this show was unedifying and highly inappropriate at this difficult time, whatever benefits dancing may bring.’
Zarah Sultana, the Your Party MP, said: ‘The optics of MPs doing Strictly Come Dancing in Parliament while the world teeters on the brink of World War Three is completely inappropriate.
‘It says all you need to know about Westminster.’
Joanna Cherry, the former SNP MP, said: ‘This is the sort of carry on that used to really get on my nerves when I was an MP.
‘War in the Middle East, innocent civilians dead and thousands of British citizens trapped there and MPs think this is a good look?
‘No wonder voters are so sick of our politics.’
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) this week said MPs’ basic salary will rise to £98,599 a year from next month.
It also said it was aiming to move towards a salary of around £110,000 by the end of the Parliament, due in 2029.
IPSA added it had taken into account that MPs in Westminster were faced with more ‘abuse and intimidation’ and rising constituency casework when considering the rise.
The group of more than 40 MPs on Wednesday morning stepped and twirled under the glass atrium of Portcullis House under the direction of Strictly star and choreographer Kai Widdrington.
New Green Party MP Hannah Spencer, shadow culture secretary Nigel Huddleston, Conservative MP Caroline Nokes and Labour’s Kim Leadbeater were among the parliamentarians practising their footwork alongside former Strictly contestant Kingston and ex-judge Dame Arlene Phillips.
Before the dance class, Rippon said dance was ‘such a valuable tool in getting the nation healthy’ and saving the NHS money.
She said dance could help cure medical conditions and tackle the obesity and mental health crises.
