New Labour MP for Selby mocked by Loony party candidate and puppet

Oxford graduate, 25, who won Selby for Labour is mocked by puppet-wielding Loony party candidate who mimes along to his acceptance speech while Tory MP Johnny Mercer calls him an ‘Inbetweener’

• Keir Mather will be ‘baby’ of Commons after winning Selby & Ainsty by-election 

Labour’s newest and youngest MP was mocked on live TV by a fellow candidate and his dummy after beating the Tories in Selby.

Monster Raving Loony Sir Archibald Stanton, whose key policy was a ban on Greyhound racing ‘to stop the country going to the dogs’, mimicked Keir Mather during his victory speech.

Mr Mather will become the so-called ‘baby’ of the House of Commons – a term for the UK’s youngest MP – after winning a huge majority in the Selby and Ainsty by-election last night.

In his victory speech, at Selby Leisure Centre, Mr Mather said the party had ‘rewritten the rules on where Labour can win’, adding: ‘People have opened their doors to us and embraced our positive vision for the future.’

But behind him Sir Archibald Stanton was using his ventriloquist’s dummy to mimic him during his speech, with the funny moment enjoyed by Sky News viewers.

Twenty-five-year-old Keir Mather is set to become the ‘baby’ of the House of Commons after winning the Selby and Ainsty by-election for Labour. Johnny Mercer, the veterans minister, swiped that Mr Mather ‘just relays Labour lines’ and has ‘a Labour chip’ in him by Keir Starmer 

By election winner and Labour Party candidate Keir Mather speaks at Selby Leisure Centre, North Yorkshire after the results were given

One said: ‘Keir Mathermade history. He will now be the youngest member of UK’s parliament. But what’s really killing me is that one of his third-party opponents campaigned with a hand puppet and there was regular mouth movement during Mather’s speech’. 

The youngster who was the first MP to have been born after Tony Blair became Prime Minister was also mocked by Tory Minister Johnny Mercer last night as ‘a repeat of The Inbetweeners’.

Mr Mercer pointed out that the History and Politics grad had ‘been at Oxford university more than he’s been in a job’ and warned he should not expect a warm welcome from the Conservative benches when he arrives at Westminster. 

He also suggested the Hull-born politician, who had most recently been working as a public affairs adviser at the Confederation of British Industry, was ‘inauthentic’, claiming he ‘just relays Labour lines’ and has ‘a Labour chip’ in him by Keir Starmer, who like the 25-year-old was named after Keir Hardie – the first leader of the Labour party.

Mr Mather studied at Oxford university between 2016 and 2019 before spending a year as a researcher for Mr Streeting. 

Asked on Sky News whether he was looking forward to a fresh injection of youth into the Commons, Mr Mercer said: ‘It’s always good to get new people in politics.’

But, as he made reference to the cult TV series, he added: ‘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 and he just relays Labour lines.

Mr Mercer said the new MP (pictured) had ‘been at Oxford university more than he’s been in a job’

Mr Mather is named after Keir Hardie, just like Labour’s leader Keir Starmer

As he made reference to the cult TV series, Mr Mercer added: ‘We mustn’t become a repeat of The Inbetweeners.’

‘The problem is people have had enough of that.

‘They want people who are authentic, people who have worked in that constituency, who know what life is like, who understand what life is like to live, work and raise a family in communities like theirs.

‘So, no, I’m afraid I don’t agree with this style of politics – it’s exactly why people like me didn’t vote before the 2015 election.

‘Because you’ve got people with nothing to do with the constituency just dropped in and, put a chip in them, and they’ll start parroting Labour Party politics.’

Shortly after being declared the winner in Selby and Ainsty, in North Yorkshire, Mr Mather said he hoped to be ‘a representative for the power that young people have to make a difference’.

Asked about whether he could fully understand voters’ concerns at the age of 25, he said: ‘Well, I’m a taxpayer too, I feel the pressures like anyone else.’

The Tories also lost another huge majority in Selby and Ainsty as Labour gained the North Yorkshire seat by more than 4,000 votes

But the Tory majority in Somerton and Frome crumbled as the Lib Dems won the by-election by 11,000 votes

The Conservatives clung onto Uxbridge and South Ruislip, in west London, by less than 500 votes to avert a complete by-election wipeout

Sir Keir Starmer said 25-year-old Keir Mather’s victory in Selby and Ainsty demonstrates the ‘demand for change’.

The Labour leader tweeted: ‘Congratulations @Mather-Keir, Labour’s new MP for Selby and Ainsty!

‘Last night, Selby and Ainsty made history. This incredible result shows how powerful the demand for change is.

‘Only Labour can deliver that change, and build a better Britain.’

New Labour MP Keir Mather joked that he had ‘heard far worse’ when asked how he felt about becoming ‘the Baby of the House’.

The 25-year-old will become the youngest MP in the Commons after overturning a 20,137 majority in the North Yorkshire constituency of Selby & Ainsty.

In a speech after he was declared the winner of the by-election, Mr Mather said he ‘understood the enormity of what has just happened’.

‘We have rewritten the rules on where Labour can win. People have opened their doors to us and embraced our positive vision for the future,’ he said.

‘The people of Selby & Ainsty have sent a clear message. For too long, Conservatives up here and in Westminster have failed us, and today that changes.

‘Over the past few months, speaking to hundreds of people on the doorstep, I’ve encountered so much hardship. Hardship made worse by 13 years of negligence and complacency from the Conservatives.’

Speaking after the results were announced from the count at Selby Leisure Centre, Mr Mather told reporters: ‘As a young person in politics, I really hope to be a representative for the power that young people have to make a difference.’

Asked about whether he could fully understand voters’ concerns at the age of 25, he said: ‘Well, I’m a taxpayer too, I feel the pressures like anyone else.’

Labour candidate Keir Mather says his age does not mean he can’t understand the lives of voters

Mr Mather said his first priority would be setting up financial support centres in the constituency, for people to get expert help with issues including mortgage payments and energy bills.

He told journalists that he supported Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s policy of keeping the two-child benefit cap, saying: ‘I think we’re going to inherit an absolute economic mess from the Conservatives when we take power and we’re going to have to make extremely difficult decisions once we do, and I support the Labour government in doing so.’

Mr Mather said the cost-of-living crisis was the number one issue on the doorstep throughout the campaign.

Asked if people were voting for Labour or against the Tories, Mr Mather said: ‘Well, I make no bones about it, I think local residents were extremely frustrated at the way the Conservative MP (Nigel Adams) stepped down, but they only voted Labour to the extent that they did because they knew we had a plan that would actually deliver on their concerns.’

After Mr Mather’s speech, defeated Conservative candidate Claire Holmes left the venue without talking to reporters.

Labour have said Mr Mather was born in Hull and grew up near Selby, before going to Oxford University.

The party said he has most recently worked as a senior public affairs adviser for the Confederation of British Industry and was formerly a parliamentary researcher for Wes Streeting from 2019 to 2020.

His candidacy was supported by the GMB and Unison unions.

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