A Reform MP has defended her actions after posting a video of a woman once dubbed the UK's 'worst benefits cheat' boasting about the help she received from Nigel Farage's party.
Video Post and Backlash
On Wednesday, Sarah Pochin, who was elected last year when she won the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, posted a video of Ethel McGill, 76, captioned "helping people like Ethel is why I love my job". In the footage, Ms McGill says that within two days of speaking to Reform UK, she was "getting the help I needed" and eventually moved into an adapted two-bedroom bungalow. However, the clip was deleted just hours after it was posted, and Ms Pochin was forced to respond after LBC revealed Ms McGill is an amateur actress who was once dubbed the 'UK's worst benefits cheat' by The Mirror after she was jailed for fraud.
Ethel McGill's Fraud Case
Ms McGill was jailed after she hid her father's death to rake in £740,000. She continued to claim her dad Robert Dennison's war pension and benefits after his death in 2004. She also feigned dementia and claimed she needed a wheelchair, Liverpool Crown Court heard. Ms McGill admitted fraud and was jailed for five years and 10 months in 2019. At the time, Judge Steven Everett told her: "Part of your problem is that nobody, including me, believes that you are ill, and that you have been putting this on for years." He accused her of "breathtaking dishonesty" and said that for "year after year" she had "sullied" her father's name.
Pochin's Defence
In a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, Ms Pochin defended her party's stance on benefits fraud. She said: "As an MP, I have to take people at face value. My office does not run background checks on constituents who come to us asking for support. The issues my office assisted with were entirely unrelated to that offence. Reform UK stands firmly against benefit fraud and abuse of the system. But a responsible MP must deal with each case on its merits and support constituents who ask for help." Ms Pochin told LBC that she tries to be "a hard working local MP, and I am prepared to help anyone in Runcorn and Helsby who asks for my help." She added: "My default is to trust constituents who ask for help."
Context of Benefits Cuts Pledge
It comes after Nigel Farage pledged the largest benefits bill cut in UK history if his party wins the next general election. In April, Mr Farage said he would keep the triple lock for state pensions and fund it with the "biggest cuts to the benefits bill ever seen in this country."
