Sky News host Jayne Secker has apologised after she was branded “patronising” during an interview about Britain’s housing crisis.
On Monday, the presenter – who was a landlord herself – ranted about young tenants as she spoke to recently-evicted tenant Kirsty about the high costs of renting in London.
Kirsty explained the difficulty of finding a new place within two months of being evicted.
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After Kirsty said that she and her friends could not afford London’s high rent prices, Jayne replied: “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.”
She continued: “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.
“Do you think you’ve found amongst your friends, perhaps, that you’re aren’t equipped with the necessary skills to rent?”
Kirsty responded by labelling the presenter’s comments as “a bit patronising really”.
Kirsty added: “I mean we won’t complain about things like a lightbulb, and if a landlord is [expletive] off by things like that surely the thing to do is communicate with each other rather than hitting an eject button and turning your lives upside down.”
Not in the slightest offended by Kirsties language but very offended by the patronising way of interviewing someone over a very serious problem #skynews https://t.co/NzkA8x7ceO
— Lesley Thomas🤚🌹 (@43b7b931c1f54ca) 16 April 2019
The #skynews presenter talking interviewing the woman about the rental market has made my blood boil. What an odious , rude and patronising person. Shame on her.
— Rachel (@Kittyrach1986) 16 April 2019
Jayne then ended the interview and apologised for Kirsty’s language.
However, after some viewers criticised Jayne and branded her comments “patronising” and “rude”, the presenter took to Twitter to issue an apology.
She wrote: “Clearly yesterday I got the tone and content of an interview wrong and it has upset many people.
Clearly yesterday I got the tone and content of an interview wrong and it has upset many people. I am sure many of us will have made a mistake at work – unfortunate for me mine is a lot more public than most. Please be assured I have taken the many comments on board. Mea culpa.
— JayneSeckerSky (@JayneSeckerSky) 16 April 2019
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“I am sure many of us will have made a mistake at work – unfortunate for me mine is a lot more public than most. Please be assured I have taken the many comments on board. Mea culpa.”
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