ITV uses transgender activist who says she's a struggling mother during Thames Water crisis coverage
News has come under attack for using a leftie transgender activist during its coverage of the Thames Water crisis. During Wednesday night's News At Ten programme the network showed Mika Minio Paluello washing up and doing some laundry while she spoke of how the soaring water costs will be footed by 'bill payers and tax payers' as she raised the crisis. Both have become political issues as pressure grows for the government to take over water firms. During the clip - which was the second item on the show and presented by ITV News consumer editor Chris Choi - she described the rising water bills as being 'tough if you're a mum.' However, ITV News introduced Ms Minio Paluello believed to be in her early 40s - as a 'Thames Water customer' and failed to mention her Labour credentials. And now the Daily Mail can reveal that she is currently the TUC's Climate and Industry lead, while between October 2017 and November 2019 she was a special adviser to the shadow Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy secretary while Jeremy Corbyn was the leader of the Labour Party. Ms Minio Paluello's appearance once again calls ITV News impartiality into question. Last year its political editor Robert Peston was repeatedly criticised for being anti Tory, and in particular biased against former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Meanwhile, ITV News' coverage has prompted anger from women and feminists across social media for portraying the message that washing up and laundry is what mums do. Labour MP Rosie Duffield delved into the row today, saying: 'Dear @itvnews, I am sure this is a lovely, intelligent and decent human being. This was an important piece. This is not however a struggling 'mother'.' Others accuse the coverage as being sexist and gong back in time to show women as '1970's housewife. Twitter user 'gender is harmful', which says it fights against sex-roles, wrote: 'ITV News run a piece on the Thames Water crisis featuring a brief comment by a man describing rising water bills as being 'tough if you're a mum like me'. 'In the clip he's shown washing the dishes/doing the laundry, because clearly...that's what mums do.' Another Twitter user added: 'Wait. It is even worse. "An everyday mother" who is an economist covering climate and works for the Trade Union Congress.' Meanwhile, Mumsnet raised the issue on their forum this morning. One member said of ITV News: 'The stereotypical washing up & loading the dish washer is insulting if anyone thinks that's what being a woman is....'