Conservative MP Ben Bradley has infuriated BBC Breakfast viewers after he tried to defend the Government’s latest decision. MPs vote to reject footballer Marcus Rashford’s call to extend free school meal vouchers for children in England during the holidays. Mr Bradley came under fire on social media for “defending the indefensible”.
The MP, who voted against the extension, told the BBC: “I think there’s been a real false characterisation this week.
“We all accept that we need to help, we want to help, it’s just a question of how and from where.
“Government has put £9billion into supporting vulnerable people since March into things like increasing Universal Credit, extending the eligibility and rolling out more free school meals.
“It wasn’t a point of do we or do we not help kids. What we’ve done is put £1billion into local government to help them to help those directly who are in need.”
READ MORE: Free school meals: Where can your child get a free school meal?
However, viewers were not impressed with his response, with one person tweeting: “Ben Bradley is a disgrace and an embarrassment to the entire country. I genuinely run out of words for this man.”
Phil James Truman agreed, writing: “Just dug himself in deeper with that car crash on BBC Breakfast just now. Amusing to watch.”
Nigel added: “Naga on BBC Breakfast just had Bradley on toast but he’s still hiding behind the idea that they are paying councils enough, they are not. It’s a shame his Zoom stopped…or was it a desperate Tory Press Officer cutting the WiFi to stop him?”
Another user tweeted: “Bless Ben Bradley – defending the indefensible and digging a hole for his political career – all for a pat on the head from Dominic Cummings. What a pitiful little man.”
James Holmes said: “Car crash of an interview with Ben Bradley on BBC Breakfast. Challenged on a trail of crass, insensitive and inaccurate comments on Free School Meals and he is left wanting. At 30 years old and elected in 2017 he is on the greasy pole defending the indefensible.”
One Twitter user wrote: “Watching Ben Bradley trying to defend the indefensible on BBC Breakfast was a joke. Unfortunately, the subject of Free School Meals isn’t funny. If it wasn’t for Marcus Rashford and the generosity of local councils, the private sector and the British public, some children would’ve gone without.”
A local constituent added: “Ashamed of my local MP for voting against free meals. This will be remembered at the next General Election.”
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Mr Bradley was also grilled regarding some controversial comments he had made on his social media about the situation.
Host Naga Munchetty confronted him over a tweet he had sent that implied that free school meals vouchers were being used as cash directly to “crack dens and brothels”.
The MP shot back that it had been taken “totally out of context”.
He said: “I was merely making a point that there are kids who live in really chaotic situations and giving them an unrestricted voucher to spend on whatever isn’t helping.
“The point I’m making is that we need to wrap our hands, as a society, around those families.”