Outrage As New Education Minister Gives The Finger To The Public

People have been left outraged after the Tory MP who gave the middle finger to Boris Johnson protestors was appointed as the UK’s new education minister.

Andrea Jenkyns, who was criticised last year for celebrating Brexit’s anniversary by tweeting ‘what a year’, was filmed making the rude gesture while entering 10 Downing Street.

In a separate clip, she shouts ‘wait and see’ to the crowds as they booed her outside of the black gates. 

The footage, shared on social media on Thursday (7 July), appears to have been filmed shortly before Johnson resigned as Prime Minister amid the Chris Pincher controversy. 

@MandOCLP @DailyMirror @guardian Andrea Jenkyns MP greeting the crowds at Downing Street today at 12:20pm. Gave everyone the finger… pic.twitter.com/A6fS3pe06C

— Alex Clewlow (@clewlow_alex) July 7, 2022

Just a day later, Jenkyns was appointed to the role of parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for Education.

Dozens of people have reacted angrily to the video, with one writing on Twitter: “This is so bad - imagine the reactions if a group of school children did this on a school visit to No 10?”

Another said: “@andreajenkyns great example to the nation's schoolchildren. I hope you won’t be making any comments on behaviour in schools as that would be hugely hypocritical wouldn’t it.”

“It's sooo reassuring to have people like @andreajenkyns in the government at this turbulent time, giving the actual finger to the ordinary working people & families they keep pretending to care about,” commented a third. 

“Is this what your party is about @Conservatives?”

Ministers aren’t expected to be perfect.

But is it really too much to ask that they don’t treat the public like this? pic.twitter.com/LcA11oh09W

— Bridget Phillipson (@bphillipsonMP) July 8, 2022

Shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson added to the conversation, tweeting: “Ministers aren’t expected to be perfect. But is it really too much to ask that they don’t treat the public like this?”

Speaking about the backlash, Mark Spencer - leader of the House of Commons - said he doesn’t believe giving the middle finger was ‘the right thing to do at all’.

Appearing on BBC Breakfast, when asked if he thinks it’s acceptable, he replied: “No, I don’t think it is, to be honest. I don’t seek to condone that at all.

“I mean, Andrea will have to… justify that for herself. But I do understand emotions were running pretty high and they were pretty raw on that day. 

“But I don’t think that was the right thing to do at all.”

Jenkyns was one of the MPs to show support for Johnson this week as he announced his resignation following multiple calls to step down. 

The news arrives after the recent scandal relating to Pincher, who bowed out as deputy chief whip after claims he had groped two men.

Number 10 initially denied that Johnson knew about the claims, but it came to light that he was previously made aware of an investigation into inappropriate behaviour from Pincher back in 2019. 

Last week, both Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health secretary Sajid Javid stepped down, with dozens of Tory ministers following suit in what was the largest exodus of MPs in British political history.