‘British scum’: BBC Nolan caller from Belfast explodes at former top Tory over Universal Credit

A caller to the Nolan Show this morning referred to one of the show’s guests as “British scum” and told her to “leave our country”.

The call was immediately met with a rebuke from Stephen Nolan, who had been hosting a discussion on cuts to Universal Credit with former leading Tory Party member Edwina Currie.

Mrs Currie is a Jewish Liverpool-born Oxford and LSE economics graduate, who served as a Tory MP in Derbyshire and was at one time a minister in the Department of Health.

She told the show that the mean amount given to each household on Universal Credit “is £790 a month, so we’re talking about a lot”.

She added: “Let’s be honest – that burden falls on other working households.”

Mr Nolan challenged her on this, and there was strong criticism of her from People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carrol – who at one point went on to say that hearing her talk is “nauseating” because he believes she is “a millionaire”.

“What?” Mrs Currie replied. “I wish.”

But it was a call from a man referred to only as “Daniel in west Belfast” which was most controversial.

He told the show: “When I was growing up as a child in west Belfast the wages were so bad – there was no minimum wage.

“My father had to go out and do the double. He had to... like every other family in west Belfast, lady.

“Then when Tony Blair came to power he had the good sense to bring in minimum wage and then also bring in working tax credits, which is basically legalised doing the double.”

This was a Labour scheme, “not you, love, under the Tory party”.

Daniel added: “Listen to me missus, Miss Currie, or whatever you’re called. You listen to me.

“We’ve listened to your rubbish from the Tory Party, you under Maggie Thatcher, and that other clown with the glasses you had an affair with [a reference to Mrs Currie’s affair with John Major] – we’re sick of youse!

“Go back to England and leave our country, you British scum.”

Mrs Currie responded: “That’s nice talk for this time of the morning.”

And Mr Nolan told him: “That’s just outrageous Daniel. Why don’t you come on an make a political point without using that type of disgusting language towards a contributor on the programme?”

In terms of responding to the substance of Daniel’s point, Mrs Currie said: “I’m not sure the Tories are actually in power in Northern Ireland – I thought you had devolved government!”

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