Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries had an awkward exchange during a TV interview this morning as she appeared to struggle to answer a very basic question.
She was reluctant to speak about her most recent contact with Boris Johnson and challenged BBC Breakfast presenter Charlie Stayt as to why he was asking her if she had spoken to the Prime Minister in the past 24 hours.
The cabinet minister also blamed the Prime Minister's researchers and advisers for alleged falsehoods Boris Johnson has said in Parliament, insisting he tells the truth "to the best of his knowledge".
During the exchange, Stayt said he was “really confused”, asking Ms Dorries if his question was a “difficult” one.
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The presenter asked: “Have you spoken to the Prime Minister recently, in the last 24 hours?”
After a brief pause, a smiling Ms Dorries replied: “Why? Why are you asking me that question?”
Stayt replied: “I’d like to know.”
Dorries simply said: “We’ve communicated.”
Appearing perplexed, Stayt went on to say: “I’m really confused. Is that a difficult question? I’m just asking if you’ve spoken to the Prime Minister, in the last 24 hours.”
Dorries repeated: “We have communicated.”
Stayt went on to ask what Mr Johnson had communicated to her, but Ms Dorries declined to go into detail.
She said: “I’m not going to tell you the extent of my communications with the Prime Minister. I mean, I’ve answered your question. We have communicated. What is your next question?”
When Stayt asked about the PM’s mood, Dorries described it as “very positive, extremely positive”.
Manchester's night time economy advisor, Sacha Lord, shared a clip of the video, originally shared by Manchester United legend Gary Neville, calling it a 'must watch'.
He added: "I've been watching this on repeat for the last 25 mins. I can only think the afterparty finished at 7.30am."
