‘Oh come on!’ Alex Armstrong presses Lucy Powell to address Labour minister’s ‘far right’ warning about rural Britain
Alex Armstrong has pressed Lucy Powell to respond to a Labour minister’s controversial warning the “far right” is creating a nostalgic vision of rural Britain.
The Education Secretary insisted she was a “big fan” of the nation’s countryside after the GB News presenter insisted she respond.
Her colleague, Nature Minister Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, sparked outrage when she called the vision of a “warm ale, a black Labrador by your feet in a pub” a “very far-right nostalgic vision of Britain that we don't want to have, and never really existed”.
Speaking at a fringe session of Labour’s party conference in Liverpool, the MP for Suffolk Coastal said she was “kept up at night” with a fear that such an ideal would be weaponised.
“If we don't make the case for nature, for rural communities and what we believe rural communities look like, I do believe that the next election is going to be fought on a battle line of nature and rural affairs,” Ms Riddell-Carpenter said.
Alex asked Ms Powell: “Do you not think that's insulting to so many Labour seats and voters across the country?”
“Well, I haven't heard what Jenny has said, but we are determined to support farmers, to support our rural communities,” the Education Secretary responded.
“Do you reject that characterisation?” the GB News presenter pressed.
“That's what people want to hear from you. Do you reject that?”
Ms Powell responded: “I actually couldn't hear everything you said; I'm sorry.”
Alex was unimpressed by the excuse, exclaiming: “Oh, come on!”
He then read Ms Riddell-Carpenter’s comments aloud again, asking her if she would support her colleague’s comments.
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“I mean, look, I'm a big fan of country, rural, pubs,” the Education Secretary hit back, slightly flustered.
“We've got beautiful countryside, we've got fantastic rural communities. The pub is often the heart of those communities as well.
“One of the great British assets that we have here is our countryside and our rural way of life. We all really relish that.”
“Thank you for saying that and clarifying that for our audience,” Alex said.
“We do really, genuinely appreciate it because we've got a big rural community here watching at home.”
Outrage over the Nature Minister’s comments has flooded in across the day.
Political commentator Benedict Spence warned GB News that her comments had a deeply “sinister” undertone.
He argued the remarks were intended to “sideline a way of life” in the UK.
Ms Riddell-Carpenter has yet to comment.
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