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A Conservative MP has defended comments made in an interview with i that most children who struggle in his constituency are “the products of crap parents”.
James Daly, the Tory MP for Bury North in Greater Manchester, stoked widespread backlash when he told i on Thursday that family should be about “stability”, as he claimed “fundamental” change was needed to help those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“Most of the kids who struggle in Bury are the products of crap parents and so what do we do to try to address that issue?” he said in an interview with i.
“On the left it would just be: ‘We’ll throw money at this and hope something sticks’ – somebody like me thinks about this more fundamentally.”
Mr Daly, who was elected in 2019 and has the slimmest majority in the country, claimed MPs needed to be “brave enough” to make comments like his.
However, his Labour rival accused him of “insulting the parenting skills” of his constituents. James Frith, who is standing in Bury North for Labour at the next election, said it was “revealing to see how little James Daly thinks of his own constituents.”
“Rather than insulting the parenting skills of people in Bury, he should look closer to home,” he said. “Over the last 13 years the Conservatives have failed to grow our economy, protect our public services or provide opportunities for young people in Bury and across the UK.”
Mr Daly has since hit back at the criticism, claiming that he wanted “to ensure those from most disadvantaged backgrounds have the best chance to thrive and succeed”, the BBC reported.
“The state on its own can’t achieve this and parents have a crucial role to play in ensuring they are able to support their children through early years,” he said.
“I want to make sure that no matter your background you have the best chance to have a happy, positive fruitful life.”
Elsewhere in the interview with i, Mr Daly defended right-wing Tory group the New Conservatives, of which he is a member.
The group, which was created in May and includes the party’s deputy chair Lee Anderson, has called for greater focus on migration, law and order and “woke” issues.
Mr Daly told i: “I think New Conservatives represent very much working-class conservatism. We’re not a strange right-wing sect. It’s just people who want to give people the best chance to succeed and thrive in life”.
He also suggested he would welcome Nigel Farage into the Conservative party, though adding that it could prove tough for the former Ukip leader to “come away from being this person who can say what he wants”.
Christian Wakeford, the Labour MP for Bury South and a former colleague of Mr Daly’s, urged locals to remember the MP’s comments when deciding which party to back at the next general election.
Mr Wakeford said: “This is what the current member for Bury North thinks of his constituents in the town it is an honour to represent. Make sure he remembers this next year when you go in that voting booth.”