Watch the moment an explosive clash breaks out on GB News after broadcaster Kevin Maguire accused host Miriam Cates and fellow panellist Dr Renee Hoenderkamp of “demonising” young unemployed Britons.
Discussing Reform UK’s plans to “strip workers’ rights”, Mr Maguire said that you cannot encourage young people into work by “making them think they’re just slaves”.
Host Andrew Pierce pointed out: “Alan Milburn, the employment tsar, he talked only yesterday about one million people, young people, not in employment, training, education, and he said that it’s a dependency culture.
“He thinks it will damage them for life, and he said it’s going to get worse with AI and unemployment, which we now know is being predicted to go even higher.”
Mr Maguire argued: “It’s bad for those young people who are kind of lost, it’s bad for communities and it’s bad for the economy. You’ve got to get them into work, but you don’t get them into work by thinking they’re just slaves.
“If you give people decent rights, a decent rate of pay, you’re more likely to get them into work.”
Interjecting Mr Maguire, Dr Renee hit back: “We live in a society now which is entitled, and everybody thinks they have a right to everything.
“You know what the biggest incentive is to get those people back to work? Not having a cheque that’s put through their door every week. Having no money is a massive incentive to go and take a job.”
An explosive row broke out on GB News after broadcaster Kevin Maguire accused the GB News panel of ‘demonising’ Britain’s unemployed youth
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GB NEWS
Mr Maguire then swiped at Dr Renee: “You mean get the big stick to beat them, is that what you mean?”
Dr Renee was infuriated by his remark, telling the broadcaster: “Kevin, we’ve got so many young people who are off work because they’re feeling a little bit anxious or a little bit down. Everyone on this panel would have gone to work and just sucked it up.”
Accusing Dr Renee of “demonising” the unemployed, he responded: “You can demonise them all and scaremonger like that if you like, but this has been a persistent problem with some young people.
“And of course, if you don’t work in your 20s, you’re less likely to work in your 30s and your 40s and 50s. Milburn is right, but you’re not going to fix it by giving them worse rights, that’s what I’m arguing. You think treating people badly is a magic solution!”
Reform’s Richard Tice has announced a new ‘super department’ on business and trade
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POOL
In complete disagreement with Mr Maguire, host Miriam Cates stepped in to the debate, responding: “You’re saying we’re demonising people, but actually, isn’t this just an understanding of human nature?
“If you give someone the opportunity to be idle and paid for it, many people will take that. That’s not demonising anybody, that’s human nature. We all know what that’s about, and we now have a system that does reward idleness. So why are we surprised?”
Taking aim at the previous Tory Government, Mr Maguire hit back: “You will know the benefits system is operated now essentially the way it was when your party was in power for 14 years. That was your period.”
Miriam then argued: “I am not absolving the Conservative Party of blame, don’t get me wrong, but under Labour we’ve seen even more people paid to be off work and the benefits bill is increasing, increasing, increasing.
The GB News panel clashed on Britain’s unemployment levels and benefits bill
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GB NEWS
“Both parties should take the blame, I absolutely agree – what I’m saying is we’ve now got this position where a million people would be better off giving up work and being on benefits – that is untenable.”
As Mr Maguire claimed that it is a “terrible indictment of low pay in the British economy”, Miriam then fumed: “You’ve got small businesses hardly making a profit, how are you going to force them to pay more money?!”
Dr Renee then interjected, telling Mr Maguire: “The problem is, is that we are subsidising all of the big corporations in this country to pay people low pay, I agree with you. So we could sort that out, but we won’t because it’s all the big corporations.”
Andrew then concluded the debate, jibing: “Kevin hates the word but I have to use it, the benefits system encourages shirkers.”
