Grant Shapp’s new rail ad has been mocked by social media users who have ridiculed the government minister as "utterly cringe".
The Transport Secretary has released a promotional video for government-sponsored discounts on railway travel.
Drawing on his past as a car salesman, Shapps announced the launch of The Great British Rail Sale starting at 10am this morning.
This has offered Brits up to 50% off of train tickets across the country.
The idea behind the new government policy is to try and make rail travel affordable for families struggling with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
The sale, said to be the first of its kind, is thought to bring some Manchester to Newcastle journeys down to a little over £10.
Seats on some London to Edinburgh services will be slashed from £44 to £22.
It is hoped it would help families afford domestic tourism during these tough times.
And it comes to try and cut prices of rail travel which has long been notoriously expensive in Britain.
Throughout the policy announcement Mr Shapps recreates something like a holiday ad from decades past.
Some have dubbed the video “cringey” as the short clip is a slideshow of destinations Brits might consider typical holiday destinations across the British isles.
Across them he switches and swaps clothes and accessories as he bounces from place to place.
After an introduction where the graphics and quality mimic a classic ad from before the turn of century, he appears in Edinburgh, at Arthur’s Seat where he dons a puffer jacket against the cold.
Then the government minister strips off his coat and hoodie, changing them out for sunglasses and a crab prop as he talks about Cornwall, with images of sea and sand behind him.
Onto the Lake District and “the land of dancing daffodils” he discards the sunglasses for a rucksack and a set of binoculars.
The last place he seemingly appears in is London, where the green screen behind him cuts after he suggest Brits take to the capital for retail therapy.
Towards the end of the video, Mr Shapps ditches the green screen, and after years of telling Brits to stay at home, tells them now to get out.
He said: “We’ve had two years of living life virtually. It is time to get real and visit our beautiful country”’
The Conservative politician has been met with a mixed reaction with some finding the video hilarious whilst others called it cringey.
Some social media users “appreciated the effort” Mr Shapps took to move away from being a “dull bloke in a suit”.
Dr Alice Lilly joked this morning: “It is 9.31am and I have already watched the Grant Shapps video four times, please stage an intervention.”
More scathingly, one Londoner said: “Can imagine the civil servants p*****g themselves laughing at the vacuous moron on top.”
Labour candidate for Lambeth Martin Abrams said: "I want to know how Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has the time to make these utterly cringe videos when our transport is in utter crisis??"
Jacq Dodman added: “Seriously mate if you’ve got time to make these ridiculous publicity stunt videos you clearly aren’t doing your job properly.”
One Twitter user took to the platform to ask whether the video was a parody or not and another asked how many people the video made it passed before it was released.
However, this isn’t the first time the Transport Secretary has tried this approach.
He released a similar video he fronted back in January when he announced that trains would be making less announcements.
Some have slammed the latest scheme as “out of touch” and said it should not be the priority of governments.
One person asked: “Are people supposed to burn the (train) tickets for heating or have you got any good recipes that use them?”
Others slammed it as just a “gimmick” given it would only last for a month from April 25 to May 27.
Mr Shapps said: “For the first time ever, operators across the rail industry are coming together to help passengers facing rising costs of living by offering up to 50% off more than a million tickets on journeys across Britain.
“There’s no better time to visit friends, family or just explore our great country, so book your tickets today.”
