The apology for the 'get a new job' comments didn’t go down well.
As if the Tories’ week couldn’t have got much worse, the party’s chair, Jake Berry, ignited outrage when he said people struggling with the cost of living crisis should ‘get a new job.’
Talking to Sky News during the Conservative Party Conference, the MP for Rossendale and Darwen said: “People know that when their bills arrive, they can either cut their consumption or they can get a higher salary, higher wages, go out there and get that new job.
“That’s the approach the government is taking so households can afford their bills,” said Berry, as he defended the tax cuts for the rich made in the mini budget.
‘Living on another planet’
The comments prompted backlash, labelled ‘out of touch and ‘crass’, as the MP’s name trended on social media. UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said the government was “living on another planet.”
Labour councillors joined the censure, describing the remarks as ‘outrageous’ and ‘astonishing’. Among them was Labour Councillor Alyson Barnes, leader of Rossendale Council, who said: “It’s outrageous, really, but not a surprising. The whole [Conservative] party does not understand the basics of the way our residents are struggling.”
Adding to the contempt was Berry’s seeming reluctance to fully apologise. Appearing on Good Morning Britain on October 6, the MP refused to provide a full apology but rather apologised that his comments were ‘misinterpreted’, while admitting what he said was ‘clumsy.’
“I accept actually they were ever so clumsy and I’m sorry if people misinterpreted them. They were part of a larger interview. The real point I was trying to make, probably in a terrible and clumsy way, was that the approach of the government is to grow the economy.”
Attempting to bring some justification to the remarks, he added: “You don’t have to tell me what graft is. I represent an east Lancashire constituency with people working in manufacturing. And I want their employers to create new roles which are highly paid and more secure and that’s the point I was trying to make. I accept I made it clumsy, and I apologise for making it in relation to nurses. I wanted to clarify it.”
Viewers were unsatisfied at the so-called apology.
“@jakeberry you are a professional politician. Speaking in a “clumsy” way is no excuse. You knew what you were saying. Another u turn from the Tories. #GMB,” tweeted one viewer.
“Jake Berry Tory Chair …. on #GMB doing his best to appear like he cares…. Honestly? If you’re buying what he is selling then I doubt your struggling with the cost of living crisis,” another fumed.
‘Meaningless’
Another described the apology as meaningless, posting:
“No one “misinterpreted” anything you said @JakeBerry, your words were clear and unambiguous. If you can’t at least admit you were wrong when you apologise, then your apology is meaningless.”
Calls have also been made for the Tory Party chair to resign.
“You should have resigned yesterday… Your apology regarding poorly paid vulnerable people was not acceptable… Your words optimise the Tory attitude to the people of this country…” someone tweeted.
“Shouldn’t Jake Berry follow his own advice now and resign from Parliament and get another job, with juicy perks and expenses, ‘not’ funded by the taxpayer?” wrote another.
Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead is a contributing editor to Left Foot Forward
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