BBC Newsnight’s Victoria Derbyshire put the Conservative Party’s repeated claim of being the “party of facts” to the test on Tuesday during a live segment that left Cabinet minister Michelle Donelan tripping over her words.
Derbyshire ran several clips of senior Conservative government ministers making statements she described as “untruths.”
In the compilation, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak claimed he removed a waste-sorting mandate; Transport Secretary Mark Harper hinted local councils could dictate shopping frequency; and Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho said Labour might tax red meat.
“How can you be the party of facts when none of that is true?” Derbyshire asked.
When Donelan tried to repeat the slogan again, Derbyshire stopped her. “I’m not going to let this go… [These statements] are untruths, they are fiction, they are completely and utterly made up and it’s really disrespectful to voters… You’re making up lies.”
The stunned Technology Secretary attempted to rally but Derbyshire pivoted to a further round of questioning. The BBC journalist asked her position on the contrasting stances between London’s Tory mayoral candidate, Susan Hall, and Business Minister Nusrat Ghani on political rhetoric.
While Hall insinuated that London Mayor Sadiq Khan created discomfort among Jewish communities, Ghani countered by suggesting that promoting “fear-based language and degrading political adversaries” wasn’t reflective of party principles.
Donelan, suitably flustered, refused to commit to either of her colleagues’
Derbyshire’s masterclass was praised across the internet.
Watch above, via BBC. Read more coverage on MediaiteUK.