BBC viewers have praised presenter Naga Munchetty for her interview with Tory MP Ben Bradley as he defended his decision not to support free school meals.
After a campaign by footballer Marcus Rashford gathered huge support on social media, it failed to pass in Parliament. This week, Tory MPs voted against extending free school meals during the holidays.
Following the vote, Mansfield MP Ben Bradley tweeted to the Manchester United footballer, saying: “Dear @MarcusRashford. We have a difference of opinion. I voted to target funding more closely at those most in need. I don’t believe FSM is a good indicator of that.
“Can I invite you to one of the country’s most deprived schools to come discuss with the Head (who agrees with me)?”
However after the MP tagged a school, someone claiming to be a governor disagreed with his points, and he became undone during a chat on BBC Breakfast.
What did Naga Munchetty say in the interview?
During the interview, Naga referenced a tweet from a governor of the school. She said: “A governor at that school has responded, saying, ‘Unfortunately for you I am a governor at that very school.
“‘I have just spoken to the Head and I can assure you that our view is very much that the kids need free school meals vouchers. I ask you to correct this and not give false impressions of a school who fights tooth and nail for their kids’.”
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Ben then tried to backtrack saying he never brought a school into the argument. However, Naga called him out.
Go Naga Munchetty. Skewering Ben Bradley. Beautiful.
She said: “But you did, didn’t you? By inviting Marcus Rashford to come to a school.”
Additionally, she then quoted Ben’s own tweet as he fumbled for his words.
Viewers went wild for Naga Munchetty and her interview
Viewers were full of praise for Naga Munchetty as they thought she showed the MP up in the morning interview. They took to social media to share their views.
“Naga Munchetty calmly dismantling Ben Bradley’s revolting views is a wonderful sight,” said one.
Additionally, some viewers called her interview a ‘skewering’ of Ben. One viewer tweeted: “Go Naga Munchetty. Skewering Ben Bradley. Beautiful. #BBCBreakfast.
“It’s the government’s job to feed hungry children if their parents can’t. It’s a safety net.”
Naga Munchetty calmly dismantling Ben Bradley's revolting views is a wonderful sight. #BBCBreakfast
— Dan Matkin (@d_matkin) October 24, 2020
Ben Bradley defends his words
After the interview, Ben continued to try and defend his stance against free school meals and the Marcus Rashford campaign.
Speaking to his 31.5k Twitter followers, he said: “There is no sense whatsoever in pretending to ourselves that just giving 1.4m kids free meals in hols fixes things.
“Many kids don’t need it, and many in genuine need won’t benefit from it due to extreme lives and problems. To be effective, we have to be more personal and local.”
He later added: “Pretty clear that I’m about to get hammered across social media/papers for the crime of a tweet where the context wasn’t as clear as I’d thought it was.
“Needless to say, I haven’t said what I’m being accused of, nor would I ever. I’m sorry if others get dragged into the fire.”
BBC Breakfast airs every day from 6am on BBC One.
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