The Conservative MP for Ashfield, Lee Anderson, is facing backlash after it he said people need food banks because they ‘can’t cook a meal from scratch’ and ‘cannot budget’.
On Tuesday, May 10, Anderson, when speaking in the House of Commons, invited other MPs to a food bank in his constituency to see the ‘brilliant scheme’ they had set up there.
No Massive Use’ for Food Banks
During his speech he explained people in his constituency could only receive a food parcel from the food bank when they register for a budgeting and cooking course.
He said: ‘When people come now for a food parcel they have to register for a budgeting course and a cooking course. What we do at a food bank is we show them how to cook cheap and nutritious meals on a budget. We can make a meal for about 30p a day.’
He went on to say the use for food banks is down to people who ‘cannot cook properly’ and ‘cannot budget’.
He added: ‘There’s not this massive use for food banks in this country. You’ve got generation after generation who cannot cook properly. They can’t cook a meal from scratch. They cannot budget.’
This comes after the government is facing immense criticism over support available to the most vulnerable amid record inflation, soaring energy bills and a cost-of-living crisis.
MP Faces Backlash
Anderson faced instant back while in Commons as the SNP’s Joanna Cherry said MPs were ‘perfectly well aware of the requirement’ for food banks across the country.
She said: ‘The requirement for them is not because people don’t know how to cook. It’s because we have poverty in this country at a scale which should shame his government.’
People across the country were also not happy with the ‘advice’ the 55-year-old MP is offering as many have taken to Twitter to express their feeling and now he’s facing backlash.
Some people took to the social media site to share how the MP had actually claimed more than £200,000 in expenses last year. According to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority Anderson, who was voted in in December 2019, claimed over £17,000 on accommodation.
Between April 2021 and March 2022, foodbanks in the organisation’s network distributed over 2.1 million emergency food parcels – a 14 per cent increase compared to same period in 2019-2020.