Andrew Cooper posted the flow chart to Facebook in 2020 but now seeks to represent an area where almost a third of the children live in poverty. His "witty" meme could well bite him in the ass though, as the by-election is being held tomorrow.

Source: The Mirror

A Tory by-election candidate suggested parents who are struggling to feed their kids as they are out of work should “f*** off”.

Andrew Cooper is standing for the Conservatives in Tamworth on Thursday after the previous MP had to quit in a sleaze scandal.

In 2020, Mr Cooper posted on Facebook a diagram drawn in pen on a piece of paper asking the question: “Can you feed your kids?” It said that those who have subscriptions for TV services such as Sky, have £30-a-month mobile phone contracts or get their nails done should “f*** off”. The diagram suggested that parents who do none of these but do not work should also “f*** off”.

If elected as the MP, Mr Cooper will be responsible for helping families across the constituency who are struggling with the cost of living. According to figures from the End Child Poverty Coalition, almost a third (32.2%) of children in Tamworth were in poverty in 2021/22. That's 6,548 children.

Mr Cooper posted a picture of the diagram on Facebook in October 2020 when many people were finding it difficult to get work because of the pandemic. After it was highlighted on social media, his partner Elizabeth Austin defended him, writing: “How desperate are you getting now? Pulling out a post from three years ago.”

The infamous flow chart in question.

And, according to Carol Vorderman, Labour looks poised to win the seat where the previous Tory (and apparent sex addict), Chris Pincher, won in a landslide, with 66.3% of the vote.

In response to the wave of condemnation, Cooper doubled down.