Tory Minister Takes Social Media Break After Outburst At Carol Vorderman Over Homelessness

Vorderman tweeted accusing Mercer of not meeting his pledge to end veteran homelessness. (Screengrab via YouTube)

Veterans’ Minister Johnny Mercer is taking a break from social media after he lashed out at celebrity Carol Vorderman, accusing her and Labour candidate Fred Thomas of leading “shit lonely lives” when the pair criticised his commitment to his homelessness pledge.

Vorderman claimed Thursday that Mercer failed to fulfil his promise to eradicate homelessness among ex-forces personnel, a vow she said has seen a 14% rise in numbers contrary to his success claims.

Mercer hit back in a since-deleted tweet to dismiss Vorderman as “irrelevant” and “misleading people” for “clicks.” He said Vorderman and Thomas led these attacks to make their “shit lonely life” better.

Vorderman followed up with a string of tweets underlining her point, berating the Tory MP for resorting to “abuse” and a “childish response.” She also highlighted an alleged insult directed at Thomas, noting his seven-year service in the Royal Marines, contradicting Mercer’s dismissive remark.

The Tory MP then issued a statement via X defending his fight against homelessness and said he will not have his “work maligned by people who’ve never sat through a single night with a veteran determined to take their own life, or recede into substance abuse or whatever demon they may have.”

Mercer, a former army captain, and his wife, Felicity Cornelius-Mercer, have been embroiled in a public spat with Vorderman for some time. The minister’s wife, now Principal Secretary in his office, openly celebrated Vorderman’s departure from the BBC, fueled by her allegedly partisan tweets, even coining the term “Vordermort” in a scathing social media post — a nod to the villain in the Harry Potter franchise.

The bizarre feud traces back to an initial clash when Cornelius-Mercer labelled Vorderman a “celebrity attack dog” and accused her of inciting hatred towards Tories.

The latest episode in the social media war between the two has cooled down, for now, with Mercer vowing to take a break from X, but will no doubt reignite. Vorderman is set to sit in for host James O’Brien on LBC over the New Year. O’Brien’s call-in show for listeners often touches on the political hot topics of the day.