Senior Tory Nadine Dorries has said that the “toxic” and “stale” ITV programme This Morning should be axed following the Phillip Schofield scandal.
The former culture secretary waded in on the furore surrounding former host who quit the show after admitting to an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger male colleague.
Ms Dorries questioned the “entire culture” at This Morning and said ITV viewers had been “lied to” over the affair, adding: “I don’t think it should survive.”
She told Talk TV: “I think [the story] is not going away, and I just don’t think it can survive in its present format. I think it was … the original editor of the show who said it really just needs to go now.”
Ms Dorries added: “There is so much that is questionable about the entire culture within This Morning’s programme.”
“Can it survive? I don’t know, I don’t have a crystal ball – but I don’t think it should survive. I think it needs to be taken over by a safe pair of hands that the public know that they can trust, because they’ve been lied to, there’s been duplicity and almost a cover up.”
The ex-cabinet minister said she had “spoken to people who worked on the programme over a number of years” and said it had harboured a “toxic” culture.
“A culture grows, it becomes toxic and it is protected by those who are aware of the culture, until something gives, and it’s usually a whistleblower or something happens to kind of blow the lid off and that what’s happened on This Morning,” said the Tory MP.
Ms Dorries said she found co-host Holly Willoughby “an absolute delight”. But on Sunday the MP said she had “some questions to answer” about the recent saga.
She also told BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: “I just found [Mr Schofield] to be quite bullying in his attitude towards the co-host who was standing in for Holly Willoughby. And that made me feel more uncomfortable than answering the questions.”
Mr Schofield has been dropped by his talent agency YMU and axed as an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust after admitting to lying to colleagues about his affair, with the royal charity saying it is “no longer appropriate” to work with him.
ITV executives are expected to appear before MPs on the culture, media and sport committee next week, where the issue of Mr Schofield looks set to be raised.
The session is expected to focus on scrutiny of the forthcoming Media Bill, with SNP MP John Nicolson – a committee member – writing on Twitter: “The issues erupting around ITV have been a cause for concern. I look forward to getting some answers from ITV bosses.”
An ITV spokesperson said it had investigated rumours of a relationship between Mr Schofield and an employee in early 2020. “Both parties were questioned and both categorically and repeatedly denied the rumours, as did Phillip’s then agency YMU.”
The spokesperson added: “Phillip’s statement yesterday reveals that he lied to people at ITV, from senior management to fellow presenters, to YMU, to the media and to others over this relationship.”
In an Instagram post earlier on Monday, Mr Schofield hit back at his critics, saying there was “no toxicity” on This Morning.
Former presenter Eamonn Holmes said Ms Willoughby should follow Schofield “out the door” of the show.
The co-host is due to return to the show on Monday after the half-term break, having taken an early holiday after news of Mr Schofield’s departure emerged.
