Daily Mirror

TOP TORY: GIVE THE JOBLESS VASECTOMIE­S

Fury as MP accuses poor of boosting benefits by having more kids

- BY ANDREW GREGORY

THERESA May’s youth tsar sparked fury by demanding jobless parents be sterilised.

Tory MP Ben Bradley accused poor families of having more children to boost their benefits.

He wrote: “If you can’t afford them, stop. Vasectomie­s are free.” Labour’s Cat Smith said: “The nasty party’s alive and well.”

BROUGHT in to woo young voters, Ben Bradley was meant to be the modern face of the Tories who boasted of bringing opportunit­y for all despite their background­s.

But Theresa May’s youth tsar showed he is as stuck in the past as most traditiona­l conservati­ves with his calls to give jobless people vasectomie­s.

The PM was under pressure to sack the 28-year-old over his vile comments, which came when he was defending Iain Duncan Smith’s proposed benefits cap.

He branded the unemployed “wasters” and claimed austerity-hit working class families were having lots of children to boost their state handouts.

Bradley, appointed Vice Chair of the Conservati­ve Party just six days ago wrote: “It’s horrendous that there are families out there that can make vastly more than the average wage just because they have 10 kids.

“Sorry but how many children you have is a choice. If you can’t afford them, stop having them. Vasectomie­s are free.

“There are hundreds of families who earn over £60,000 in benefits without lifting a finger because they have so many kids.” Shadow Youth Affairs Minister Cat Smith said: “These repulsive comments expose the Tories’ disgracefu­l attitude to the unemployed.

“That they come from a man Theresa May made Vice Chair speaks volumes. The nasty party is alive and well.”

Poverty campaigner Paul Sng added: “Ben Bradley seems to think the poorest people in our society are worthless.

“His comments may be read as an endorsemen­t of eugenics and echo the very worst elements of Conservati­ve ideology in regard to social welfare.”

Bradley, of Hucknall, Derbys, was elected as MP to former mining town of Mansfield, Notts, last year.

The Nottingham University graduate made the vasectomy jibe on his blog in January 2012 when he was 22.

Bradley, who has two sons with wife Shanade, 32, deleted the comments after they came to light yesterday. He said: “I apologise. I now realise that this language is not appropriat­e.”

Last month, Bradley claimed Tories were “bad at selling”their policies to young people but insisted his was “the party of opportunit­y and aspiration”.

 ??  ?? VICIOUS Bradley
VICIOUS Bradley
 ??  ?? OUT OF TOUCH Bradley and wife Shanade at polls
DISGRACE His spiteful attack on parents who are out of work
OUT OF TOUCH Bradley and wife Shanade at polls DISGRACE His spiteful attack on parents who are out of work

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