What insult did Johnny Mercer throw at Keir Mather? Here’s what he said about new Selby MP after by-election victory

Johnny Mercer has come under fire for launching a scathing attack on Labour’s newest MP. The Tory minister took aim at Keir Mather, comparing him to a character from the popular sitcom, Inbetweeners.

Mercer’s comments were made on Sky News, where he also suggested that MPs should have raised a family before standing for parliament. Mather, who is just 25, overturned a 20,000 Tory majority in the seat to pull off an historic win in Selby and Ainsty.

Despite his triumph, Mercer claimed that Mather is ‘too inexperienced’ to become an MP and accused him of robotically “parroting” Labour lines because he does not have enough ‘life experience’

Mercer said: “I think it’s always good to get new people in politics. I think we mustn’t become a repeat of the Inbetweeners. You’ve got to have people who have actually done stuff.

“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 repeats Labour lines.

“The problem is people have had enough of that, right? They want people who are authentic, people who have worked in that constituency, who understand what life is like - to live, work and raise a family in communities like theirs.

“I’m afraid I don’t agree with this style of politics. It’s exactly why people like me couldn’t vote in the 2015 election, because you’ve got people with nothing to do with the constituency just dropped in, put a chip in them and they’ll start parroting Labour Party politics.”