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Veterans minister Johnny Mercer has been accused of being “disrespectful” to new Labour MP Keir Mather, after comparing him to a character from The Inbetweeners.

Mr Mercer made the comments during Sky’s special overnight coverage of the by-elections.

Keir Mather, 25, won the previous Conservative stronghold of Selby and Ainsty for Labour by overturning a majority of 20,000.

At 25, he will become the so-called ‘Baby of the House’ – the youngest member of the House of Commons.

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Asked by deputy political editor Sam Coates whether he welcomed “an injection of youth into parliament”, Mr Mercer replied: “I think it’s always good to get new people in politics, but I think we mustn’t become a repeat of The Inbetweeners”.

The Inbetweeners is a TV comedy series that was also made into a number of films, which follows a group of awkward teenage friends as they enter adulthood.

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Asked what he meant by the comparison, Mr Mercer said: “You’ve got to have people who have actually done stuff. This guy has been at Oxford University more than he’s been in a job.

“You put a chip in him there and he just relays Labour lines, and the problem is people have kind of had enough of that.

“They want people who are authentic. People who have worked in that constituency, who know what life is like, understand what life is like to live, work and raise a family in communities like theirs.

“I’m afraid I don’t agree with this style of politics.

“It’s exactly why people like me couldn’t vote in the 2015 election, because you’ve got people with nothing to do with the constituency just dropped in – put a chip in them and they’ll start parroting Labour Party politics.”

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Later, the comments were put to Labour’s Baroness Chapman, who accused Mr Mercer of being “disrespectful” to the people of Selby and Ainsty, who yesterday elected Mr Mather as their representative.

“There is such a thing as being gracious in defeat, Johnny,” she said.

She added: “How rude are you today? You need to get some sleep.”

Baroness Chapman said the comments were "disrespectful"
Image:
Baroness Chapman said the comments were ‘disrespectful’

Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said the Conservatives “need to read the room”, telling Sky News: “To name call newly elected members in parliament shows the contempt they have not only for the elected member but the votes too.”

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Tory party chairman Greg Hands stopped short of directly criticising his colleague, but said young people have an important role to play in politics.

Asked if Mr Mercer’s comment was inappropriate, Mr Hands said: “I think we should welcome young people in politics.

“We have a good range of MPs in the Conservative Party from young people in their twenties, all the way to older people also with amazing experience… But clearly there’s also a role for young people to go into politics.”

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What’s behind Starmer’s reset?

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What's behind Starmer's reset?

👉Listen to Politics At Sam And Anne’s on your podcast app👈       

As MPs return to Westminster for a packed autumn term, will the prime minister be back with a bang?

Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy discuss Keir Starmer’s priorities as the so-called “reset week” begins.

There’s chatter around No 10 of a staffing restructure but could this impact the government’s message and delivery of its missions?

Back in the Commons, the home secretary will lay out the government’s plans to restrict family members from joining asylum seekers.

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What to expect with US crypto policy as Congress comes back in session

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What to expect with US crypto policy as Congress comes back in session

What to expect with US crypto policy as Congress comes back in session

According to some Republican lawmakers, the first crypto-related priority in the Senate will be to pass legislation for market structure.

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Sir Keir Starmer’s ‘Mr Fixit’ is likely to be a recipe for conflict

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Sir Keir Starmer's 'Mr Fixit' is likely to be a recipe for conflict

After a torrid time before the summer break, Sir Keir Starmer has reshuffled his inner circle again on the first day back. 

This has become something of a habit.

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Although none of the Number 10 team are household names or public figures, the tally of those cycling through the top jobs is worth noting.

As of now, he’s had four chiefs of staff – the incumbent returning to the job, two cabinet secretaries with a third rumoured to be on the way and five directors of communications – a job that routinely fails to last a year these days.

The lesson this tells us is that when there’s blame to go around, Sir Keir is happy to apportion it to his closest aides.

In an interview today, the prime minister was clear that these changes are about moving to a new phase of government, more focused on delivery.

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A delivery phase implies legislation completed and a focus on implementation. Bluntly, this is not the case or an accurate assessment of the job that now needs to be done.

The autumn term is not about implementation.

It’s about filling the £20bn to £40bn black hole we expect to emerge in the autumn budget, as well as continuing to deal with an uncertain world globally, and deciding on massively tricky domestic issues like reform of special educational needs and whether to revisit welfare reform.

We are still at the “big choices” section of this parliament, not the delivery phase.

The big choice in Sir Keir’s reset on Monday has been to bring in his own Mr Fixit into Downing Street.

He chose a mid-level cabinet minister, Darren Jones – until today the number two in the Treasury – and has parachuted him into his office to oversee policy.

This is an appointment, I’m told, that was pushed and encouraged by Rachel Reeves because of Mr Jones’ role in the spending review.

As chief secretary, Mr Jones is meant to have gone item by item through every department’s budget. He knows where the financial bodies are buried and will be a major alternate source of advice for Sir Keir to individual cabinet ministers.

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This is undoubtedly a recipe for conflict. There are already some around the cabinet table who found Mr Jones’ style a touch brusque. His fans say this is part of why he is effective: he is prepared to challenge what he’s told, is an independent thinker and unafraid to challenge big beasts.

He will now play this role permanently, on behalf of the prime minister, and structurally, this means he is bound to be disliked by several of these colleagues who will no doubt, in time, seek to undermine him, just as he will challenge them and have the last word with Sir Keir.

No matter that some might be surprised at the choice, as a fiscal and reforming hawk, since few would put him on the same ideological wing of the party as the prime minister. He is also a late joiner to the Starmer project, although joining in opposition spent years longer than some as chair of the business select committee rather than taking more junior roles.

This is now immaterial. He is responsible for making Sir Keir’s government work in practice. His colleagues could do worse than to sincerely wish him good luck and leave him to it, as there is a great deal to be done.

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