A TORY MP has been accused of calling an English town a “s**t hole” in response to a question about high child poverty rates during PMQs.
The Labour MP for Stockton North, Alex Cunningham, had asked Prime Minister Rishi Sunak why 34% of children in his constituency were living in poverty.
However, before Sunak began to answer, a voice from the Tory benches could be heard to say “because it's a s**t hole”.
Cunningham believes the comment was made by Home Secretary James Cleverly.
He raised a point of order in the Commons, saying: "He was seen and heard to say ‘because it’s a s***hole’. I know he is denying being the culprit, but the audio is clear and has been checked, and checked, and checked again.
“There is no doubt that these comments shame the Home Secretary, this rotten government, and the Tory party. He is clearly unfit for his high office.”
A spokesperson for Cleverly insisted: “He did not say that, and would not. He’s disappointed people would accuse him of doing so.”
Lab MP @ACunninghamMP has attempted to raise a point of order after a Tory MP (believed to be foreign secretary James Cleverly) appears to have called Stockton North a “shit hole” Cunningham had been asking about the area’s child poverty pic.twitter.com/eJTdVwjzHz
— Rachel Wearmouth (@REWearmouth) November 22, 2023
The north east of England has some of the highest rates of relative child poverty in the entire UK.
Last year, figures showed that while child poverty slightly decreased as a whole across the UK, it actually increased in the north east from 26% to 38%.
Sunak said: “It is this government that has ensured that across our country 1.7 million fewer people are living in poverty as a result of the actions of this government.
“Not only that hundreds of thousands fewer children are living in poverty and income inequality is at a lower level than we inherited from the party opposite.
“But, Mr Speaker, we don’t want any child to grow up in poverty and the best way to make sure that that happens to ensure that they do not grow up in a workless household.
“And that is why the right strategy is to ensure that we provide as many children with the opportunity to grow up with parents in work.
“And because of the actions of previous governments several hundred thousand more families are in that position”.
Cleverly has been contacted for comment.
