Nadine Dorries found herself the subject of widespread ridicule after a tweet bemoaning Sir Keir Starmer for accepting a donation to support his son’s schooling was brilliantly ‘ratioed’ by political commentator Marina Purkiss.
Dorries, a former culture secretary, accused Starmer of using his position for personal gain. However, Purkiss swiftly pointed out the hypocrisy, highlighting that Dorries herself had paid her daughters up to £80,000 for working in her parliamentary office – a decision widely criticised during her time in government.
The term “ratioed” refers to the phenomenon where a tweet receives more negative responses, such as comments and retweets, than likes—a clear indicator that public opinion is not in the poster’s favour. Purkiss’s reply not only outshone Dorries’ original tweet but also struck a chord with many online who have long been critical of Dorries’ conduct while in office.
Dorries’ payments to her daughters, Philippa and Jennifer, for work on her behalf as a public official sparked controversy years ago.
In total, it was reported that Dorries paid as much as £80,000 to her daughters while serving as a member of parliament, raising questions about nepotism and misuse of public funds.
Purkiss capitalised on this historical context, exposing what many see as Dorries’ double standards in attempting to critique Starmer for receiving financial support from outside donations.
Dorries’ political legacy has also been tarnished by accusations of abandoning her constituents when she quit her role as MP but refused to stand down until she found out why Rishi Sunak had snubbed her peerage.
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