A former Tory MP has been criticised after he joked on TV that females in his house like the heating on.
Graham Evans, MP for Weaver Vale 2010 to 2017, made the comments during a discussion about heating costs this winter.
Just before he made the comment on BBC Politics North West, the programme heard from a community organisation providing emergency plumbing and heating repairs to vulnerable people at a discount.
Asked if people needed more measures like this, Evans replied: “Yes, of fuel efficiency, looking personally I’m a hot blooded male - females in my house like to have the heating on. Try and keep the heating down as well as humanly possible...”
When it was put to him there were a lot of vulnerable people who were not as “hot blooded”, he replied: “Absolutely and in all seriousness that’s why the government has supported heating bills as far as they can. It’s going to be a very, very tricky winter.”
The comments prompted Labour councillor Oliver Ryan to slap his palm on his face.
Ryan, who is running in Burnley at the next election, told the programme: “People are currently choosing between heating and eating in a lot of circumstances, a lot of cases.”
And in reference to Evans’ comments, Ryan added: “I think to sort of trivialise in the way that you have Graham saying it’s a hot blooded male thing and a couple of degrees on the thermometer might pay it off is not quite grasping the seriousness of where people find themselves.”
Evans said it was a “flippant” comment and that the government had to grow the economy.
One Twitter user commented: “I’ve checked. This isn’t a Partridge clip. He actually said that on live TV.”
Another added: “Haha men trying to make the energy crisis a women’s issue... Stop it.”