Johnny Mercer this morning took a swipe at Labour’s newest MP as he warned of politics becoming a “repeat of The Inbetweeners”.
Keir Mather, 25, will become the youngest MP in the Commons after overturning a 20,137 majority in the North Yorkshire constituency of Selby & Ainsty.
But Mr Mercer, a former soldier, said he has “been at Oxford University more than he has been in a job”.
The Tory minister then made a jibe about The Inbetweeners comedy which centres on four teenage friends.
The Portsmouth North MP told Sky News: “I think it’s always good to get new people in politics. I think we mustn’t become a repeat of The Inbetweeners, you have got to have people who have done stuff.”
Asked what he meant, he went on: “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 relates Labour lines. And the problem is people have had enough of that, right?
“They want people who are authentic, people who have worked in that constituency, who know what life is like, who understand what life is like, to live, work and raise a family in communities like theirs.
“So no, I’m afraid I don’t agree with this style of politics. It’s exactly why people like me didn’t vote before the 2015 general election because you’ve got people with nothing to do with the constituency just dropped in and put a chip in them and they’ll start parroting Labour Party politics.
“Good for me because I don’t think people are going to vote for it. I love Keir Starmer, I think he’s fantastic because people can’t stand him on the doors, they don’t know what he stands for and none of them are going to vote for him.”
But Mr Mercer’s comments sparked outrage from Labour peer Baroness Chapman.
She said: “Oh Johnny, that’s a bit harsh. I think that’s a bit off actually.
“I mean he’s a young person but he’s not full of himself, he’s somebody who is very considered, he’s intelligent, he’s done a great job, he’s related really well to his now-constituents in Selby and it’s their call actually who represents them and that’s not what they thought.
“They thought he was the right person to do the job.”
Pressed again on what he meant, Mr Mercer added: “Because I think this synthetic outrage, identikit Labour politician is the opposite of what people like me came into politics for.
“I became an MP because I thoroughly dislike that sort of representation and that fictional outrage all the time about the Conservatives.
“This guy has been at Oxford University more than he’s had a job, so if you can really apply that to the empathy required to understand what it’s really like in this country at the moment in terms of the cost of living, in terms of all these experiences of the people he’s trying to represent.
“Personally I don’t think that’s conducive to good electoral representation and I’m more than entitled to have that view.”
Mr Mather this morning joked that he had “heard far worse” when asked how he felt about becoming “the Baby of the House”.
Speaking after the results, he said: “As a young person in politics, I really hope to be a representative for the power that young people have to make a difference.”
Asked about whether he could fully understand voters’ concerns at the age of 25, he said: “Well, I’m a taxpayer too, I feel the pressures like anyone else.”
