This Morning fans have slammed Beverley Turner after she supported controversial comments made by a Tory MP that people who use food banks need cooking courses.
MP Lee Anderson sparked widespread outrage by claiming that people “would be able to fend for themselves” with the right education, urging Labour MPs to visit a charity in his Ashfield constituency where people get cooking lessons.
This Morning presenters Phillip Schofield and Rochelle Humes sat down with radio presenter Nick Ferrari and Beverley Turner during Thursday’s programme to discuss the outrage at the MP’s comments.
Nick described the suggestion as “very offensive nonsense”, but fellow ITV guest Beverley defended the MP’s controversial comments.
She said: “Don’t give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will eat forever.
“But you’ve also got to give him the fishing rod. We’re giving people food, let's empower them to cook better, to cook more healthily. It helps all of us.”
But fellow guest Nick weighed in demanding: “Where are they going to get the time Beverley?” before Phil exclaimed: “You can’t currently afford to turn your cooker on.”
Beverley replied: “This is very true. I agree with you, but it’s not either or. I don’t ever see offering education to people as a bad thing.”
Rochelle then replied: “It just feels out of touch. It feels very tone deaf,” before Phillip spoke on ITV viewers’ behalf as he said: “You can almost hear the entire country screaming, ‘Read the room’.”
Beverley then concluded: “He’s saying in his constituency it works. In his experience, they welcome this and it works. How is that a bad thing?”
But This Morning viewers were left deeply unimpressed by the stance and took to Twitter to respond, with one addressing Beverley saying: “People who go to food banks cannot afford the food to cook from scratch you patronising moron.”
Another tweeted: “Just because you're poor doesn't mean you can't cook. If you have no money you can’t put the oven on,” as a third wrote: “Shut up Bev, can't stand her, she's a snob.”
Another joked: “Bev gets her maid to do all her cooking and food shopping, what would she know!”
Another exclaimed: “HIS CONSTITUENCY IS NOT THE WHOLE OF THE U.K. BEVERLY. Read the room also.”
A fellow ITV viewer wrote: ““People use food banks because they cannot cook” or do they just not have enough money to buy food?! Get out.”
A fellow viewer demanded: “Who is this woman? People going to food banks don't need cooking lessons. Seriously out of touch.”
One ITV viewer touched on their own experience, writing: “I’m living off sandwiches to cut down on fuel costs but I can bloody cook. People can’t afford the fuel to cook food you idiot."
