After a petition for Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield to be sacked from This Morning reached new highs, Labour MP Angela Raynor has called on the government to intervene.
Labour’s deputy leader revealed this week that she has been “worried” for the This Morning presenters.
More than 74,000 people so far have signed a petition calling for Holly and Phil to be axed from This Morning for good.
Speaking at the Labour Party Conference, Angela spoke about online trolling and celebrities facing bullying.
Angela herself has been subjected to horrific online abuse herself, including death threats.
MP calls for Government intervention over Holly and Phil petition
She said: “It hurts when people think that they can call you thick and all of those things. I’ve seen what was happening with Phillip Schofield and Holly just recently.
“I’ve been worried about them because even though they are celebrities… they are human beings and I just think wow.
“It’s your gaff, sort it out, you have a responsibility to do that,” she added when asked how she would address social media companies.
“They’ve tried to self-regulate, they’ve tried to say ‘we’ll look after you’. They haven’t, they’ve not been able to do it and now it’s time for us to legislate.”
Holly and Phil have been forced to defend themselves in the days since the incident.
ITV star Holly told This Morning viewers: “Like hundreds of accredited broadcasters and journalists we were given official permission to access the hall.
“It was strictly for the purpose of reporting on the event for millions of people in the UK who have not been able to visit Westminster in person.”
A Parliamentary spokesperson even stepped in, revealing that journalists were given accreditation for work purposes.
The spokesperson said: “We gave media accreditation to journalists and media professionals across the world, who requested access to Westminster Hall for the purpose of reporting on the event for the millions of people in the UK and globally who weren’t able to visit Westminster in person.”
This Morning bosses added: “We asked Phillip and Holly to be part of a film for this Tuesday’s programme.
“They did not jump the queue, have VIP access or file past the Queen lying in state. But instead were there in a professional capacity as part of the world’s media to report on the event.”
Piers Morgan defends Holly and Phil
While the public has condemned the pair, fellow ITV star Piers Morgan recently came to their defence.
Speaking on his Uncensored show, he said: “Of course they shouldn’t be fired – it’s ridiculous!
“It may have been a misjudgement. I said myself on this show, I don’t think anyone should have been jumping the queue full stop, whoever you are unless you’re a world leader or there’s a time issue.”
Read more: Holly Willoughby breaks social media silence following ‘queue-jumping’ scandal
This Morning airs on weekdays from 10am on ITV and ITV Hub.
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