Rylan Clark-Neal has hit back at “snobby-arsed” critics of his political commentary, insisting he is informing his followers who “might not necessarily understand Brexit”.
The It Takes Two presenter has been a keen follower of developments in Westminster in recent months, but his regular tweets on the topic have been the butt of jokes from some users of the social media site.
He then faced further criticism when he was then announced as the host of Channel 4′s election night coverage last week.
But speaking to The Big Issue, Rylan said he feels “no pressure to fit in a box others want to put (him) in” and explained why people have been wrong to dismiss him.
He said: “I decided to call them out on it thinking actually, you’re a fucking idiot, because I was a 30-year-old man who’s not in politics and I’m the sort of person you should be tapping into.
“With all due respect, the audience that I’ve got might not necessarily understand Brexit or what’s going on in parliament.”
He continued: “When I explain stuff on Twitter in layman’s terms people message me and go ‘Thanks for doing that, I didn’t really understand what WTO meant or what the Northern Irish backstop involved’.
“You can take the piss out of me all you want, but I’m probably informing the people who follow me more than you’re informing people.”
However, the presenter said he will stay silent on who he is backing in the forthcoming General Election.
He said: “It means I can talk to people in a rounded way that probably does more good than it would if I told people how to vote.
“People need to make up their own minds. I’m more than happy to stick up for what I think is right but I’m not going to sit there and tell people what to do. I don’t think that’s my platform.
“I use it to make sure everyone is as informed as they possibly can be without necessarily having to take extra time out of their busy lives to dive into the nitty gritty of it.”
Last week, the former X Factor contestant revealed he will take the lead on Channel 4′s Alternative Election Night after the nation has taken to the polls on 12 December.
He will present along Channel 4 News anchor Krishnan Guru-Murthy, comedian Katherine Ryan and sports presenter Clare Balding.
Joining them will be experts including former MPs Tom Watson and Amber Rudd, who will provide more political commentary.
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