A brand of overpriced junk food

Back in the day, criticism of government, on social media or indeed anywhere else, would either have been ignored in Whitehall, or countered with some anodyne statement from a hack about "regretting that such-and-such felt it necessary to comment on this complex issue" but, you know…life, and government, must carry on as best we see fit.

Not any more. Ben and Jerry, ice-cream suppliers to the socially-aware wealthy, have waded in on the migrant issue for reasons best known to themselves, but presumably secure in the belief that a bit of virtue-signalling, with minimum chance of a comeback, would go down a treat with their customers:

On Tuesday, the official Ben and Jerry's UK Twitter account posted several tweets tagging the home secretary, which began: "Hey @PritiPatel, we think the real crisis is our lack of humanity for people fleeing war, climate change and torture."

It added: "People wouldn't make dangerous journeys if they had any other choice."

The account also tweeted: "People cannot be illegal."

The response was unexpectedly robust:

But a Home Office source replied: "Priti is working day and night to bring an end to these small boat crossings, which are facilitated by international criminal gangs and are rightly of serious concern to the British people.

"If that means upsetting the social media team for a brand of overpriced junk food, then so be it."

Fair enough. If we've learnt anything about Priti Patel recently, it's that she doesn't shy away from a fight.

Also:

As highlighted by the Guardian in 2018, the US branch was the target of a campaign by migrant workers on dairy farms which supplied Ben & Jerry’s – some of them illegal immigrants – over poor working conditions. Workers were housed in barns and unheated trailers and reportedly worked 12 to 14 hour days. Basic rights such as real beds (rather than straw piles) and payment of the minimum wage had to be fought for.

It takes some nerve for a company whose suppliers treated migrants like cattle to engage in moralistic grand-standing on migration.