Conservative US pundit Ben Shapiro has admitted being “destroyed” by Andrew Neil after he walked out on an interview accusing the BBC presenter of siding with the left.
Shapiro clashed with Politics Live presenter Neil, currently the chairman of the group which owns right-wing magazine the Spectator, as he was questioned on abortion laws and his controversial past comments.
He told him: “You purport to be an objective journalist. The BBC purports to be a down the middle network.
“It obviously is not, it never has been, and you as a journalist are proceeding to call one side of the political aisle ignorant, barbaric and sending us back to the dark ages.
“Why don’t you just say that you are on the left? Is that so hard for you? Seriously, it’s a serious question.”
Neil responded by chuckling and saying: “Mr Shapiro, if you only knew how ridiculous that statement is you wouldn’t have said it.”
Having already apologised to Neil, Shapiro, who in the interview argued his stance against all abortion, tweeted: “@afneil DESTROYS Ben Shapiro! So that’s what that feels like.
“Broke my own rule, and wasn’t properly prepared. I’ve addressed every single issue he raised before; see below. Still, it’s Neil 1, Shapiro 0.”
He had earlier apologised to Neil on the social media site, saying he had “misinterpreted his antagonism as political leftism”.
Shapiro, formerly of Breitbart, who became well known in the US as its youngest nationally syndicated columnist when he was just 17.
