People are furious at this Tory MP for making a joke about austerity cuts

A Tory MP has been heavily criticised after he posted a tweet where he made a joke about 'Tory cuts' after having his first haircut since lockdown restrictions were lifted.

Jacob Young, the MP for Redcar shared before and after photos of his new haircut with the added caption:

More Tory cuts... before and after shots. Across the country our #barbers and #hairdressers are back and #OpenForBusiness.

With new safety guidance, disposable gowns & towels and extensive new hygiene practices - we can safely go back to getting our mops chopped!

Young has since deleted the tweet and said that it was "clearly intended to be a joke" but the backlash against him shows that the joke didn't find its intended audience.

Andy McDonald, the Labour MP for Middlesbrough was very strong in his condemnation of the tweet.

He was quoted by The New European as saying:

People will be deeply offended by this distasteful tweet. I’m not surprised Jacob Young has taken it down.

It was a crass and insensitive comment and far from being funny for thousands of people in Redcar and across the Tees Valley who have suffered as a direct result of the political choice of his Tory party to impose austerity.

Sadly it reveals the contempt that Tories really have for the very people they were elected to serve.

Young's tweet also prompted derision from Sue Jeffrey, the former Labour leader of Redcar and Cleveland Council, who said:

I do wonder just how low these people will sink. Did he really think it is okay to joke about Tory austerity policies that have ruined so many lives and left our NHS and care services so ill equipped to deal with the Covid-19 crisis?

The criticism of Young has continued on social media where screen grabs of the tweet have begun to circulate.

Councils across Teeside were reported to have seen their budgets shrink by as much as 60 per cent as a result of the austerity measures that were first introduced during when David Cameron was prime minister and lead to a drop in police officers and firefighters in the area.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Young said:

I tried to make light of the first haircut I'd had in three months. Sadly a small number of people took offence at what was clearly intended as a joke. My constituency is full of amazing people and I'm proud to be an MP here for a party that is investing in our area and supporting working people across Teesside.

Young is one of the youngest MPs in the country at just 26 years old and was elected in December general election, ousting Labour's Anna Turley from the seat.