Conservative MP David Morris has ignited a storm of controversy after openly suggesting that Doctors and Teachers in his Morecambe constituency were lying about the extent of child poverty in the area, and that the claims were simply part of a Momentum-led conspiracy.
A recent ITV investigation went viral on social media after teachers in the area claimed that child poverty was so bad that:
- They were having to wash pupils’ uniforms as parents could not afford their electricity bills
- They had witnessed parents passing out in the school hall through malnutrition after missing meals due to lack of money
- They had to regularly invite parents to join in with breakfast club in school and take them to food banks
- They had to regularly hand out shoes and coats to pupils whose parents could not afford them
Meanwhile, local GP Andy Knox said that he was witnessing a surge in the number of children coming in to his surgery with severe conditions linked to extreme malnourishment, such as rickets – a condition that he said Doctors would not normally expect to diagnose in children within a developed country.
However, Morecambe’s local Tory MP, David Morris, took to ITV to refute the claims, suggesting that the local Doctors and Teachers who were making the claims were simply part of a Momentum-led smear against him.
Speaking with ITV News, Morris said:
I’ve not got issues with the report that you’ve run, I’m just questioning the validity of it because the reports always come from either Morecambe Bay Primary School, or another Morecambe Bay School in the West End of Morecambe, and Ash Trees Surgery – both have very strong links to Momentum.
Morris then attempted to justify his belief that Teachers and Doctors in the area were lying about the children they care for by stating that:
All the indicators from OFSTED say that the child poverty at that school is absolutely no different from any other in the country.
Incredible. Conservative MP suggests reports of child poverty from primary schools in his constituency are part of a fake news conspiracy by Momentum pic.twitter.com/NTTaLd3hDb
— Matt Zarb-Cousin (@mattzarb) December 14, 2017
However, writing on Twitter, a Senior Partner at the Ash Trees Surgery in Morecambe, Dr David Wrigley, vehemently refuted Morris’ claims, stating that:
I can categorically state we have NO links to Momentum as he has stated. I would ask Mr Morris to provide solid evidence of this accusation or withdraw his remark.
A separate constituency resident said on Twitter that Tory MP Morris’ inexplicable claims that Doctors and Teachers were lying about child poverty were ‘the sort of stupidity we’re used to from him’.
Whilst another resident said that Morris was ‘a grade A clown’, going on to state that:
I live in Morecambe and that school is in the most deprived area of my town and the teaching staff should be praised for the work they do.
And speaking to The Guardian, Momentum’s National Coordinator, Laura Parker, said:
For 15 years I worked for children’s charities and I’ve never seen an MP show such blatant disregard for vulnerable children in their constituency.
That David Morris has tried to cover up children going hungry and suffering from Victorian diseases such as rickets is shocking. That he’d do it by smearing Momentum and implying that local schools are lying is even worse.
Tin Foil Tory
Become An Evolve Politics Subscriber
Your subscriptions go directly into paying our writers a standard fee for every article they produce. So if you want to help us stay truly independent, please think about subscribing. We literally couldn’t function without the support of our fantastic readers.
SubscribeOr a One-Off Donation to Evolve Politics
If you don’t want to subscribe, but still want to contribute to our project, you can make a one-off donation via the donate button below. All your donations go directly to our writers for their work in exposing injustice, inequality and unfairness.
Donate