A Conservative association has been slammed over a tweet suggesting that families unable to live off £10 a week were ‘indolent or dysfunctional’.
A post from the Bath Conservative Association cited prominent food campaigner Jack Monroe’s blog about struggling to feed her child.
It read: ‘The reality may be indolent or dysfunctional parents or more likely parents who simply don’t know how to feed their children well.
‘If absolutely-not-a-Tory Jack Monroe @BootstrapCook could feed herself & her child for £10 a week – not easily, but adequately – most people can.’
The Bath Conservative Association (their office is pictured) has been slammed over a tweet suggesting that families unable to live off £10 a week were ‘indolent or dysfunctional’
Tim Warren, leader of Bath and North Somerset Council, said: ‘It’s a ridiculous statement’
In the tweet, the Bath Conservative Association cited prominent food campaigner Jack Monroe’s blog about struggling to feed her child
Ms Monroe, pictured here with her son, Jonny, hit back at the tweet and accused the Bath Conservative Association of making her a ‘poster girl’ for austerity policies that left her living in poverty
It is unclear who sent the tweet, which immediately drew criticism online.
Tim Warren, Bath and North Somerset Council leader, has slammed the post.
He told MailOnline he is not a member of the association and did not know who sent the tweet.
He added: ‘I have never sent a tweet in my life. I think it was very ill-judged and I disagree with what it said.
‘It’s a ridiculous statement.’
The post was slammed online.
One user said: ‘Please don’t bother to apologise for your ‘ill-judged comment’; just change your ill-judged policies so that no one has to even contemplate feeding themselves and their loved ones on £10 A WEEK IN 2018.
‘Utterly shameful.’
Another wrote: ‘I’d like to see anyone able feed their family on £10 a week. What an utterly ridiculous claim to make.
‘No wonder Tories are completely out of touch with the public. How moronic
One commented: ‘You’re a shame and disgrace, people are starving, some children in the UK today get their 1st and only meal of the day in school and you’re posting comments like this.
‘You’re out of touch with real people, resign.’
One user wrote: ‘So exactly who made the odious and uninformed comment on your account then? Name and shame if you are truly sorry.’
It is unclear who sent the tweet and Mr Warren has since distanced himself from the post. He said it did not represent the views of himself or his cabinet. The tweet has been deleted
The tweet has been removed and replaced with this apology
Another said: ‘Who writes your tweets, you need to check out the real world.’
Food campaigner Ms Monroe also hit back, accusing the Bath Conservative Association of making her a ‘poster girl’ for austerity policies that left her living in poverty.
Ms Monroe said: ‘I am not their poster girl.
‘I ended up living in poverty for two years, the recession had hit and I was applying for jobs but getting nowhere.
‘The benefit agencies deemed I made myself unemployed and I was in rent arrears because of it.
‘I ended up living on £10 a week with me and my young son and I ended up writing about it on my blog because I wanted to help other people.
‘That came from a painful experience so to see Bath Conservatives using me as a role model was shocking.
‘The point is nobody should have to do that. It made me angry because I was in the position I was in because of the Conservative policy.’
The tweet sparked a furious reaction on Twitter. Many users accused the Bath Conservative Association of being out of touch
Writing on her blog, she said: ‘So yes, I managed to just about not die, living on £10 a week in 2011, when stock cubes were 10p for 10 (35p now), cooking bacon was 67p (£1.50 now), kidney beans were 17p (now 35p) etc.
‘Bath Conservatives claim that anyone can do it, now, 7 years later, when most basics food products from ‘the good old days’ have sharply risen in price or all but vanished.
‘I am offering the social media person from Bath Conservatives an opportunity to quite literally put their money where their mouth is. Identify yourself, and live on just £10 a week for 3 weeks running.
‘I’ll help you write recipes. You’ll eat a lot of beans and rice. You shouldn’t have to cheat, as you believe it is “adequate”.
‘Do it, with no money for drinks, nights out, socialising, no friends to cook you meals, nothing but the £10 you think is so easy to live on. After all, in your own words, “anyone can do it”.’
The offending tweet has been deleted but not before angered users replied
Mr Warren distanced himself from the Twitter account and said it did not represent the views of himself or his cabinet.
He said: ‘This does not reflect the view of my cabinet or the wider Conservative party.
‘Sometimes people tweet things which we have no control of. I’ve got two boys and you can’t feed a family for £10 a week.’
The original tweet was deleted and an apology was posted on the Bath Conservative Association Twitter account.
It said: ‘A single thoughtless tweet on food poverty, not intended to insult, but insulting nonetheless, for which we unreservedly apologise, does not represent our Association view, nor our continuing commitment to build a better Britain & a better Bath for all residents.’