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Credit: X/@ActivePatriotUK
Yvette Cooper has been attacked by an angry voter who branded her “two-faced” for handing out mince pies while pensioners are “freezing to death”.
The Home Secretary was told she would be better off donating blankets to elderly people while dishing out the treats during a visit to Knottingley, West Yorkshire.
In the confrontation, captured on camera and shared on social media, the voter tells Ms Cooper she should heat the mince pies up to keep “freezing” pensioners warm after Labour cut their winter fuel payments.
She attacks the Home Secretary for a range of decisions including scrapping the Rwanda scheme and refusing to pay compensation to the Waspi women, describing the Government as a “joke”.
She also accuses Labour of trying to stop Elon Musk from donating to Reform UK, after Nigel Farage claimed the tech billionaire was poised to invest millions in his party.
Ms Cooper, wearing a Santa hat and carrying a tray of mince pies, tries to deflect the criticism by referring to the Government’s migration strategy and pointing out that “it’s Christmas”.
But she fails to convince the voter, who says: “You’ll not get in next time, Yvette, good luck to you.
“That is so two-faced, giving a mince pie out. Give them a blanket because they’re freezing to death. They’re freezing, Yvette.”
Yvette Cooper received a hostile reception when she gave out mince pies earlier.
It is cheeky to do performative “good will” whilst taking winter fuel allowance from pensioners. pic.twitter.com/6AbEjDJFix
— Chris Rose (@ArchRose90) December 22, 2024
At the start of the clip, the woman, who is off camera, can be heard telling Ms Cooper: “I’m just shocked seeing you in Knottingley, giving mince pies out to people. For what reason?”
She goes on to ask if the pies are being given to elderly people, saying: “I think you should warm them up, keep them warm at Christmas.”
She adds: “I hope you’re not going to win this time, I hope you’re out next time. I really do.”
The woman rejects Ms Cooper’s offer of a mince pie and information sheet, saying: “The thing is, you’ve betrayed everything that everybody voted for you for, in everything.”
She adds: “Pensioners, Waspi… what about when you got that photo done and all that with Waspi women. You changed your mind with that.”
Labour has faced a mounting backlash over its decision to strip millions of pensioners of their winter fuel payments, with a charity single parodying the policing topping music downloads charts in the run-up to Christmas.
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Credit: YouTube/Sir Starmer and the Granny Harmers
The track, Freezing This Christmas, by Sir Starmer and the Granny Harmers, was embraced by the public and reached No 1 in both the Official Download Chart and the Official Sales Chart, racking up just over 14,000 sales in a matter of weeks.
In the video, Ms Cooper attempts to defend the Government, insisting, “we’re already trying to cut asylum hotels”, but the voter replies: “No, you’ve got more. You’ve cut Rwanda, you’ve cut everything, this is a joke.”
She adds: “Now you’re going to stop Elon donating, everything is, like, changing.”
As the woman walks away, Ms Cooper says she hopes she has a “lovely Christmas”, to which she replies: “I hope you don’t.”
It is understood that Ms Cooper has been handing out mince pies in her constituency of Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley for 20 years.
In the clip, she tells the woman: “We do it every Christmas.”
Later, she adds: “Everybody’s got different views, haven’t they, but it is Christmas time. It is Christmas.”
It has been suggested that the voter attacking Ms Cooper is a “very active” supporter of Reform UK.
However, The Telegraph has not been able to verify this.
Because she is not visible in the video, Reform was unable to confirm or deny any association she might have with the party.
