Home Political Parties Government Tory MP Slams Woke Ben & Jerry’s

Tory MP Slams Woke Ben & Jerry’s

A Conservative MP has berated ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s following an outspoken political statement by the organisation.

Lee Anderson, the Conservative MP for Ashfield, countered a statement by Ben & Jerry’s after the company attacked the UK’s “nightmare” immigration detention system.

Mr Anderson replied to the ice cream brand’s comments by poking fun at the prices charged by Ben & Jerry’s for their products.

“Ben and Jerrys Ice Cream Shop” by TheCreativePenn is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Ben & Jerry’s wrote on their Facebook page:

“The UK Home Office is cruelly locking up thousands of people as part of their nightmare system of immigration detention.”

Ben and Jerry’s in a statement on their website also wrote: “Dear Home Secretary,

“The UK’s system of immigration detention is inhumane and unjust. Basic rights are being denied to thousands of people locked up every year with no due process and no limit on how long they can be held.

“This cruel and inhumane treatment of people has no place in a fair and just immigration system. You must immediately take steps to end it.”

“Priti Patel Covid-19 Press Conference 25/04” by UK Prime Minister is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Alongside the statement, there was also a petition to pressure the Home Office into change.

In response to the Facebook post, Mr Anderson wrote on Facebook:

“State A This 👇
Wait till they find out how much you charge for a pot of ice cream 🍨
There is nothing cruel about our immigration system.”

The UK has a policy of detaining foreign nationals as part of an immigration control system. The reasons given for detention include holding a person before deportation, as a temporary measure to determine the person’s immigration status or establishing their identity.

Around 24,400 people were detained as part of the system in 2019.