Humiliation for Johnny Mercer
Tory MP Johnny Mercer endured a bruising evening on BBC Question Time last night, after he decided to stand by his controversial claim that armed forces personnel don’t need to use food banks.
Earlier in the week, Mercer was asked on Sky News about the rising number of people in the armed forces having to choose between ‘food or fuel’ after an investigation found some are unable to afford to drive home from their base to see family.
Asked if there was any need for military personnel to be using foodbanks, Mercer said that they were ‘personal decisions’. He received much condemnation online, with Labour MP Luke Pollard tweeting: “Food banks aren’t a personal choice, they’re a last resort.”
When asked about his comments on Question Time, Mercer blamed social media for whipping up a storm.
He said: “People on social media try to outdo each other on how outraged they are about something that never happened. That is collective bed wetting. There’s a culture on social media to become more and more outraged. It’s a bad side of social media.”
However, one audience member took his argument apart in just a few seconds, highlighting Tory hypocrisy.
She said: “Given that members of the Conservatives and the Conservative party have shut down any form of meaningful protest, and he’s shouted across every member of this panel tonight – how else are we meant to get our point across other than social media?”
Her comments come after the Tories passed the Public Order Bill, which introduced more powers to restrict people’s right to protest.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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