LONDON (Bywire News) - Boris Johnson's official spokeswoman has been well and truly roasted on social media after making an incredibly unpopular suggestion on climate change.
Writing on Twitter, Allegra Stratton - who was appointed as the PM's spokeswoman in October 2020 - said that if people wanted to fight climate change, they shouldn't rinse their dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.
Could not rinsing dishes b4 the dishwasher be your #onestepgreener ahead of #COP26? If that’s too hard a habit to kick, pick something else. At COP26 we have big asks for the world on cash, coal, cars and trees but the micro matters too. Change is coming. https://t.co/2f23IyBBPW
— Allegra Stratton (@AllegraCOP26) July 27, 2021
Unsurprisingly, given the fact that 71% of global emissions are caused by just 100 multinational corporations, people were not exactly impressed at Stratton's attempt to lay the burden of responsibility for climate change at the door of ordinary people:
[BYWIRE_DONOR_BOX]
Could addressing the causes of climate disaster (the 100 companies that are responsible for 75% of global emissions) b4 the world burns to the ground be your #onestepgreener ahead of #COP26? If that's too hard, pick something else like investing in green industries now!
— Jack McKenna (@_jackmckenna) July 27, 2021
https://t.co/iKbHdBqinN pic.twitter.com/YPRqyLk552
— Will Rayner (@WillRayner__) July 27, 2021
Study: 'Just 100 companies responsible for 71% of global emissions'
— Dan Grech (@dangrech) July 27, 2021
UK's COP26 spokesperson: 'Have you tried washing dishes less?' https://t.co/nTwGCgUTOs
Fine the industries that are responsible for the water waste and CO2. Fix the macro. Fuck's sake this is not something that can be fixed by individual measures.
— Selebro verle bueno #fuerzayhorror💪👹 (@desselebrada) July 27, 2021
Or a carbon tax?
— William Warren (@wwarrenjourno) July 27, 2021
Classic Tories blaming the public when what would really help our planet is decarbonisation of all infrastructure and a global effort to curb fossil fuel emissions and generate affordable green energy; the responsibility for which lies with *checks notes* the government. https://t.co/kNoqkGvdb4
— Tosti, CP (@miss_de_tartine) July 27, 2021
I'll stop rinsing my dishes when you stop giving billions of pounds a year to new fossil fuel projects.
— Patrick Galey #BlackLivesMatter (@patrickgaley) July 27, 2021
Deal? https://t.co/Ud2t2fbrOs
Or we could actually take action against the 100 multinational companies who are responsible for 71% of global emissions, perhaps? Just a thought.https://t.co/1lsAcXLPKM
— Bywire News™ (@bywirenews) July 27, 2021
However, others aimed their irritatation at the sheer pettiness of the PM's press Secretary's suggestion in relation to the truly monstrous problem of climate change:
Can you help? I have a wooden leg that needs a plaster put on...
— Nicolas Chinardet (@zefrog) July 27, 2021
That should do it! Climate emergency shot in the arse. Thanks Allegra!
— David Rees (@gruffyth) July 27, 2021
Let’s all fiddle while Rome burns
— Sean Owen-Moylan (@SeanOwenMoylan) July 27, 2021
Brilliant! We could all invite one guest fewer to our dinner parties, to cut down on food waste too.
— Stephen Old #LivingOnTheEdgeOfTwitRules#EFBPE (@StephenOld) July 27, 2021
That should do it! Climate emergency shot in the arse. Thanks Allegra!
— David Rees (@gruffyth) July 27, 2021
Is this seriously a suggestion worthy of your attention given your role on behalf of the UK? Extraordinary.
— Azi Eftekhari (@AziEftekhari) July 27, 2021
And many of the replies weren't just limited to those angry at Statton's attempt to blame ordinary people for the problem.
Some were angry that Stratton - who earns over £125,000 a year in her role as the PM's Press Secretary - had simply assumed that ordinary people own a dishwasher:
What advice do you have for the 50% that don’t have access to dishwashers ( apart from human kind that is ) ?
— Gill Ditch 💙💙👩🏻🎓👩🏻🎓😷😷😷 (@gillditch55) July 27, 2021
I just find it funny they assume everyone has a dishwasher...
— Tansy Kelly Robson (@Artemisapphire) July 27, 2021
What % of UK population use a dishwasher, let alone have one?
— Greggers (@GregCFX) July 27, 2021
So detached from reality#COP26 https://t.co/F2CSYefKhK
And then there were those with practical concerns:
No, because if you don't rinse the crud from your plates then the filters clog, which means using even more water to clean them.
— Ken Goodwin (@KenGoodwinITV) July 27, 2021
honestly.
— Annie Heath (@Annie3H) July 27, 2021
Consider getting real with the urgent govt intervention needed.
if I don't rinse the plates the dishwasher blocks, I have to get an engineer out, it happened before, the advice was rinse your plates. Is a van journey and/or broken machine better for the environment?
All I can think of here is Mark Corrigan discussing rinsing his dishes so they don’t clog the filter. https://t.co/bZIn0rpIuY
— Will (@willbert94) July 27, 2021
All in all, it wasn't exactly a successful intervention from Johnson's spokeswoman.
Who says the political class are out of touch, eh?
(Writing by Tom D. Rogers, editing by Jess Miller.)