Theresa May will not sack Tory vice-chair who said unemployed should have vasectomies
2 min read
A Conservative MP who suggested unemployed men should have vasectomies to stop them having more children will not be sacked as a vice-chair of the party, Number 10 has said.
Ben Bradley, who is responsible with re-connecting the Tories with young people, made the comments in a blogpost he wrote in 2012.
The Mansfield MP said the UK would be "drowning in a vast sea of unemployed wasters" unless those out of work limited the number of children they produce.
He has come in for severe criticism since the remarks emerged, with Labour frontbencher Cat Smith claiming they proved that "the nasty party is alive and well".
Mr Bradley, 28, has apologised for his comments and said his time in politics has shown him that "this language is not appropriate".
But a spokesman for the Prime Minister confirmed he would not lose the paid party post, which he was only appointed to in last week's Cabinet reshuffle.
"Clearly Mr Bradley has apologised for those comments," the spokesman said. "The Prime Minister thinks it is right he did so. I would just note that I think he was 22 at the time he made them and has himself said that he believes his career in politics has demonstrated to him why those views are wrong and he's apologised for them.
Asked if Mr Bradley was keeping his job as a vice-chair of the Conservatives, the spokesman said: "Yes."
A spokesman for Jeremy Corbyn said: "The remarks made by Ben Bradley are deeply shocking and confirm once again the Tory party's very thinly-veiled character as the nasty party and as a party that has built into it vicious attitudes towards disabled people, unemployed people and disadvantaged people throughout society."
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