TWITTER users have hit out a Tory's "seriously bonkers" claim that providing free meals for children results in that food being “sold or traded for drugs”.

Mark Jenkinson, who represents Workington in Cumbria, made the comments while coming to the defence of Ben Bradley, the Tory MP who yesterday suggested providing free school meals “effectively” handed cash directly to “crack dens and brothels”.

Bradley replied to a tweet which read: “£20 cash direct to a crack den and brothel really sounds like the way forward with this one …” by saying: “That’s what FSM vouchers in the summer effectively did …”

READ MORE: Mark Jenkinson MP claims free school meals are 'sold or traded for drugs'

Bradley’s comment has caused widespread outrage, with Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner saying that such “stigmatisation of working class families is disgraceful and disgusting”.

Now, Jenkinson has come to his Tory colleagues defence, accusing Rayner of being “disingenuous” or clueless.

He said: “Here, @AngelaRayner is either being disingenuous or really hasn’t a clue what goes on in her constituency. I hope for the sake of her constituents it’s the former.

“I know in my constituency that, as tiny as a minority it might be, food parcels are sold or traded for drugs.”

Jenkinson, who in 2015 stood as a UKIP candidate before claiming his seat for the Tory party as part of the fall of the “red wall” in 2019, added: “And that’s parcels, not vouchers - which have greater monetary value.

“As I said, a relatively minuscule number - but we can’t pretend it doesn’t happen. Pretending, to score political points, helps no-one.”

The tweet has been widely criticised from people across the political spectrum, including SNP MP Chris Law, Labour MP Jess Phillips, Green MSP Ross Greer and comedian James Felton.

Here are the best reactions:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

READ MORE: Free school meals: These Scots Tories voted against the Labour motion

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.