Piers Morgan has branded Alok Sharma is either “stupid or a liar” over claims he has made over covid testing rates.
The Good Morning Britain presenter laid into the business secretary after his interview on BBC Breakfast - on the 57th day that the government has “boycotted” appearing on the ITV show.
Mr Sharma said that 240,000 people were tested for coronavirus on Monday - a figure that Piers says is grossly overestimated due to how data is collected.
Piers ranted at his co-host Susanna Reid about the issue, saying that proper testing is the “only way out of” the pandemic, and called the testing and tracing system a “farce”.
Coming out of an advert break, Piers said: “Alok Sharma has literally just gone on the BBC and claimed 240,000 people got tested on Monday.
“That is a bare faced lie. Which I would say to his face if we weren’t still subject to the 57 day government boycott.
“This is why they don’t want to come on this programme.
“My question would be, Mr Sharma, you just said that 250,000 people got tested on Monday. That is a lie, isn’t it?”
Susanna added unless he had proof of his figures - but Piers was having none of it.
“That is the bogus figure they claim was done. It’s nothing to do with the number of people being tested,” hit back Piers.
“The fact that a government minister doesn’t know that - or knows it and is lying. It’s one or the other, he’s either stupid or he’s a liar. Which one is it?”
Piers went on to explain how the figures are collected.
“We know they are testing some people three or four times,” he said.
“We know they are counting as two tests, the two swabs. We know they are mailing out loads of tests a day, many of which are not being done.
“We also know that for one calendar month now since we have been pointing out this absurd discrepancy of people tested and the number of tests, they have stopped telling us.”
Susanna pointed out that Matt Hancock was asked and he said he “didn’t know the data”.
“What he means is, he doesn’t want us to know that the number of people being tested is massively lower,” Piers scoffed.
He added: “I am all for opening up the lockdown and everyone going back out like nothing has happened, but bear in mind that yesterday it was confirmed that just under 67,000 people had died in this country.”
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV.
