Kirstie Allsopp and Michael Rosen got into an online back-and-forth (Picture: Getty/ITV/Shutterstock)
Kirstie Allsopp has ignited a back-and-forth with Michael Rosen on X after she complained about his use of a Freedom Pass to travel in London.
The 54-year-old Location, Location, Location presenter hit out at 79-year-old We’re Going On A Bear Hunt author Rosen on Friday, in a tweet that has now been viewed 2million times.
Rosen had taken to his own social media account to complain about his Transport for London (TfL) Freedom Pass not working and being unable to get a replacement from the official website.
Allsopp then retweeted this, posting: ‘A writer so successful that today is a day dedicated to him in schools all over the country thinks it is reasonable that he travels for free due to his age.
‘People have to stop taking things they do not need, it is wrong and it is bankrupting our country.’
The post has since received over a thousand comments, with Rosen himself weighing in to respond, noting he also uses the NHS and his children have gone to state schools.
Allsopp objected to Rosen using the Freedom Pass (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
Rosen replied noting he has also used public healthcare and education services (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
But Allsopp said that was ‘not the same’, adding: ‘You do not need to travel for free, you can afford to pay, older travels [sic] can get discounts, like students, but accepting free travel is wrong.’
Rosen added: ‘But you’ve explained that you know my income (and my responsibilities) ie my income flow, so you must also know whether I could afford private health insurance and/or private education.’
Allsopp then replied, saying that private healthcare and education ‘costs a great deal more than travel on the tube or buses’.
What is a Freedom Pass?
Anyone who lives in a London borough and is over 66 or disabled is entitled to a Freedom Pass, according to TfL.Â
The pass allows travellers to use London buses, trams and trains, including the Tube for free. It also gives discounts for river boats and Santander Cycles.
The pass can also be used to travel for free on buses, trams and trains after 9am and on National Rail trains after 9.30am. You can travel for free anytime on weekends and public holidays.
While certain X users replied to Rosen’s initial tweet echoing Allsopp, several others disagreed with her.
Simone-Lee Deal replied, describing it as a ‘spiteful comment’, adding: ‘Michael travels to give unpaid talk to school kids. Free bus passes provide paid work for drivers, keep old people mentally and physically fit by going out and spending and therefore out of hospitals and GP surgeries. Also keeps some unsafe drivers off-road.’
The Freedom Pass gives those over 66 free London travel (Picture: Getty Images)
Meanwhile, @KLovesbooks1 described the take as a ‘poor choice’, adding: ‘What an unnecessary and vindictive post. There are so many grifters in the public sphere and you choose to single out an author who’s enriched the lives of countless children (and adults) and launched their reading careers.’
This isn’t the first time Kirstie’s tweets have sparked a backlash.
Back in 2022, she infamously claimed young people could afford a house if they simply gave up certain luxuries.
This prompted a wave of fury from people claiming she was out of touch.
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