Tory MP Ben Bradley has been forced to apologize after saying men on benefits should get vasectomies. Britain would “drown in a vast sea of unemployed wasters” if poor families had too many children, he said.
Bradley, 28, who was promoted to Tory vice-chairman for youth by Prime Minister Theresa May last week, made the comments in a blog post in 2012.
He made the comments in support of former Tory Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith’s introduction of benefit caps.
Bradley claims he has “matured” since writing the now deleted remarks.
The controversial blog post read: “Sorry but how many children you have is a choice; if you can’t afford them, stop having them! Vasectomies are free.
“People have to take responsibility for their own lives, and if they are struggling but working hard to help themselves then they should get help. But if they choose to have 10 kids they should take responsibility for that choice and look after them, not expect everyone else to foot the bill!
“Families who have never worked a day in their lives having 4 or 5 kids and the rest of us having 1 or 2 means it’s not long before we’re drowning in a vast sea of unemployed wasters that we pay to keep!” Bradley said in the post, which was revealed by Buzzfeed.
In a statement on the comments on Wednesday, Bradley said: “I apologize for these posts. My time in politics has allowed me to mature and I now realise that this language is not appropriate.”
Cat Smith, shadow minister for youth affairs, said: “These repulsive comments expose the Tories’ disgraceful attitude to unemployed people.
"That they come from a man Theresa May chose as a vice chair of her party speaks volumes.
“The nasty party is alive and well,” she added, according to the Independent.
Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran said it “beggars belief that someone who has shown such contempt for young people who are out of work has been tasked by the prime minister to improve her party's appeal with young voters.”
Many have taken to Twitter to condemn Bradley’s comments.