Club hits back at claims it burned 'inappropriate' bonfire effigy of Prime Minister

An "inappropriate" bonfire effigy of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in Leicestershire resulted in reports to police. Organisers have defended the move, claiming that the move was meant to "humorous".

The effigy was burned at a public event at Whitwick Constitutional Club in Whitwick, near Coalville on Thursday, November 2. Officers from Leicestershire Police said it had received a report of an "inappropriate effigy" being placed on the bonfire.

A spokesperson for the force confirmed it had logged the incident "on police systems" and were aware of the incident. However, the club has defended its effigy of the Prime Minister.

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A Whitwick Constitutional Club spokesperson told LeicestershireLive: "Bonfire Night traditions have evolved over 400 years. Our effigy of Sir Keir Starmer is a tiny part of that. It’s not calling for violence, it’s supposed to be humorous. We don’t resile from it whatsoever.

"For hundreds of years effigies have been placed on to the top of bonfires, whether that is Guy Fawkes or, for example, at the historic Lewes Bonfire Festival just in recent years Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Tony Blair, Nigel Farage and [former Post Office boss] Paula Vennells."

The spokesperson added that many of the night's visitors "had a laugh" the effigy on the bonfire. Leicestershire Police said "no further enquiries" were ongoing into the incident "at this stage".

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