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Watch: Sky News Interview On Housing Policy Takes A Cringeworthy Turn

Watch: Sky News Interview On Housing Policy Takes A Cringeworthy Turn

Rule one of in the news presenter rule book, when interviewing anyone do not let your own personal experience cloud your judgement and line of questioning. This rule clearly went out the window with this Sky News presenter. In an interview on Britain's housing crisis, Sky News presenter Jayne Secker was labelled "patronising" after she (a landlord herself) had what can only be described as a rant about the competence of young tenants.

You can watch this full interview here:

In the interview, Secker is speaking to the recently-evited tenant Kirsty about the cost of renting in London. Straight of the mark, Secker is quick to jump to the defence of landlords. Kirsty shares her current situation renting in London highlighting the difficulty of finding a new place to rent within two months of being evicted. Showing little or no empathy, Kirsty responds:

But that's not the landlord's fault, is it? That's just the housing market. The landlord would have the same issue if you decided to move out in two months.

Kirsty replies that it's a systemic problem, and addressing the price of raising rents argues why should it be so hard to live secure lives. And here comes Secker's biased and patronising rant:

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I suppose some would say, and I am speaking as someone who has rented flats and who also rents flats out, that especially with the younger generation, you very often find that the younger tenants don't really know how to do a great deal in homes.

"I, for example, have had tenants complaining that lights have popped because they don't know how to change lightbulbs. I've had tenants complain about heating... and they haven't turned the boiler on. It's just very obvious things.

Secker then poses that patronising question:

Do you think you've found amongst your friends, perhaps, that you're aren't equipped with the necessary skills to rent?

Calling a spade a spade, Kirsty understandably responds that she finds the question 'patronising', and Twitter agrees.

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Secker has since apologised following the backlash from the interview.

Also Read: #YouthEmpowered Ambassador Eoghan Quigg Shares His Journey

Deirdre Kelly

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