'Jacob Rees-Mogg should come visit a food bank before commenting in Commons'
18 December 2020, 07:45
Southwark MP Neil Coyle has challenged Jacob Rees-Mogg to visit some of the food banks in his constituency.
The comments come after Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg said Unicef should be "ashamed" of itself for "playing politics" after the charity launched a campaign to feed UK children during the pandemic.
Speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari the Labour MP for Southwark said Mr Rees-Mogg's "mask has slipped."
Accusing the Tory MP of "making silly noises," Mr Coyle said all he wanted was for the MP to "educate himself" by visiting one of the sites being supported by the charity.
He said it was essential for Mr Rees-Mogg to see the work the charity is doing to support children in need in central London.]
"If he actually came and educated himself he wouldn't make such stupid comments in the Commons," the Labour MP said.
Shameful
— Jon Trickett (@jon_trickett) December 17, 2020
Jacob Rees Rees Mogg says UNICEF should be ashamed of itself for feeding Britain’s hungry. Surely it is the Tories who should be ashamed of themselves, after-all it was they who declared food banks a “success of their big society”
pic.twitter.com/vZ3YPGtWDJ
The Commons Leader told MPs it was "a scandal" that the charity had said it would help feed 1,800 hungry children over Christmas for the first time in its 70-year history, calling the move "a political stunt of the lowest order".
The attack followed the announcement by Unicef on Wednesday that it would pledge a grant of £25,000 to the charity School Food Matters which will use the money to supply thousands of breakfast boxes over the two-week Christmas school holidays to vulnerable children and families in Southwark, south London.
The charity said each box will provide enough food for 10 breakfasts across the Christmas holidays.
