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Budget 2014: Outrage at Tory party chairman's attempt to celebrate tax cuts on beer and bingo | Budget 2014: Outrage at Tory party chairman's attempt to celebrate tax cuts on beer and bingo |
(about 1 hour later) | |
An attempt by Conservative party chairman Grant Shapps to celebrate cuts in tax on beer and bingo to help “hardworking people do more of the things they enjoy” has sparked a backlash. | An attempt by Conservative party chairman Grant Shapps to celebrate cuts in tax on beer and bingo to help “hardworking people do more of the things they enjoy” has sparked a backlash. |
Mr Shapps tweeted a poster with that message under the headline “Bingo!” written in colourful bubbles, urging people to “spread the word”. | Mr Shapps tweeted a poster with that message under the headline “Bingo!” written in colourful bubbles, urging people to “spread the word”. |
However it sparked a series of parodies, while Labour tweeted “Dear Tories - what else do you think ‘they’ do that you don't?” followed by “Out. Of. Touch”. | However it sparked a series of parodies, while Labour tweeted “Dear Tories - what else do you think ‘they’ do that you don't?” followed by “Out. Of. Touch”. |
Simon Blackwell, scriptwriter on the satirical comedy The Thick Of It, tweeted: “Genuinely, if that Conservative beer and bingo ad had come up at a Thick Of It script meeting we’d have rejected it as being too far-fetched.” | Simon Blackwell, scriptwriter on the satirical comedy The Thick Of It, tweeted: “Genuinely, if that Conservative beer and bingo ad had come up at a Thick Of It script meeting we’d have rejected it as being too far-fetched.” |
Another Twitter user, @loveandgarbage, replied to Mr Shapps to say: “Do you remember the pasties @grantshapps? And the news programmes asking the people when they last had pasties?” | Another Twitter user, @loveandgarbage, replied to Mr Shapps to say: “Do you remember the pasties @grantshapps? And the news programmes asking the people when they last had pasties?” |
The hashtag, Torybingo, was trending on Twitter and was the only budget-related hashtag on the site at about 10pm. | The hashtag, Torybingo, was trending on Twitter and was the only budget-related hashtag on the site at about 10pm. |
Conservative party chairman Grant Shapps (Getty) One of the parodies reproduced Mr Shapps’ poster, complete with the Bingo! heading. | Conservative party chairman Grant Shapps (Getty) One of the parodies reproduced Mr Shapps’ poster, complete with the Bingo! heading. |
However the message was altered to say: “I say, you there! How is your whippet? Jolly Good, Jolly Good. Carry on.” | However the message was altered to say: “I say, you there! How is your whippet? Jolly Good, Jolly Good. Carry on.” |
George Osborne's Liberal Democrat deputy in the Treasury said he thought Mr Shapps’ tweet was “patronising”. | |
Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander said: “I thought it was a spoof at first, it's just pretty extraordinary.” | |
He told BBC2's Newsnight: “It may be our Budget but it's their words, I think it's rather patronising. Also I think it actually demeans some quite sensible things. | |
“There are good reasons to be supporting bingo, there are good reasons to be encouraging our pub sector to be stronger - that's the analysis behind those measures. | |
“This language, well that's for Grant Shapps to justify.” | |
Bookmaker Ladbrokes was offering 10/1 that Mr Shapps would be soon seen playing bingo with a pint, ITV News reported. | Bookmaker Ladbrokes was offering 10/1 that Mr Shapps would be soon seen playing bingo with a pint, ITV News reported. |