Brendan Clarke-Smith, MP for Bassetlaw, said he did not believe in “nationalising children” and asked: “Where is the slick PR campaign encouraging absent parents to take some responsibility for their children?
He added: “Instead, we need to get back to the idea of taking responsibility, and this means less celebrity virtue-signalling on Twitter by proxy and more action to tackle the real causes of child poverty.
Tory David Simmonds (Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner) also said: “”What does it say about the Opposition’s priorities that all of their interests are simply swept aside in favour of currying favour with wealth and power and celebrity status.
Now I have no doubt that Mr Rashford is an expert in his own experience, but we should not forget that the experiences he so movingly described took place under a Labour government then supposedly at the peak of its powers in tackling child poverty in this country.
However, I can't find a report of Johson passing such a comment.
^Devon MP Neil Parish has been accused of “virtue signalling” for calling on the government to change its policy on free school meals - despite abstaining from Wednesday's vote. Neil Parish, Conservative MP for The Tiverton and Honiton, Devon, is calling for ministers to change their policy on offering children free school meals during the holidays.
However, Mr Parish was the only Devon MP to not vote on the Labour Party's motion on Wednesday evening.^
He said abstained to demonstrate his dissatisfaction with the government position.
I think my MP should have abstained.
