Vicar claims he was '˜pushed and shoved' for heckling Boris and Gove

A vicar has claimed he was jostled by Brexit supporters after he heckled '˜Leave' campaigners Boris Johnson and Michael Gove when they paid a visit to Preston.
Boris Johnson on the EU Leave Campaign in PrestonBoris Johnson on the EU Leave Campaign in Preston
Boris Johnson on the EU Leave Campaign in Preston

Rev Graham Nelson alleged some members of the crowd and then “a couple of men in suits” pushed and shoved him for making critical comments during speeches by the pair on the city’s Flag Market today.

“I shouted to Boris ‘You’re not welcome in Preston,’ and then I told Gove he should be ashamed of himself for some of the remarks he has made in this campaign,” said Rev Nelson, the vicar of Deepdale.

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“I didn’t go to the Flag Market intending to heckle them, but it just got the better of me.

“To be fair, when I shouted those things I expected there would be a reaction from someone in the audience, some of whom were clearly Brexit supporters. But the men in suits looked like they could have been camapign officials and I heard one of them shout ‘Get him out of here.’

“That’s fine, I’m not taking this any further. It’s all part of the big debate. Passions can run high at times.

“In fact I’m laughing it off. I haven’t had so much fun since I heckled some speakers in Glasgow during the Scottish independence referendum last year.”

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Rev Nelson said his remarks were a criticism of comments made by both Boris Johnson and Michael Gove in the campaign which reaches its climax with the referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union on Thursday June 23.