Tory MP Steve Brine has voiced disapproval of Joe Lycett after a recent interview in which the comedian sarcastically claimed to be “extremely right wing”.
The comedian made an appearance on the debut episode of Laura Kuenssberg’s new BBC politics programme on Sunday September 4, where he cheered “You Smashed it Liz”, shortly after Liz Truss was interviewed.
He continued with: “I know there’s been criticism in The Mail on Sunday today about leftie liberal wokie comedians on the BBC. I’m actually very right wing and I love it. I thought she gave great clear answers. I know exactly what she’s up to.”
Speaking in parliament on September 6, the Conservative MP for Winchester, Brine, appeared to have an issue with the comedian’s appearance on the show.
He told those in attendance: “I would say her [Kuenssberg’s] show got off to a challenging start, in terms of major appeal outside of SW1 and on this whole issue of impartiality, by the Joe Lycett debacle, where he was asked on as a pundit.
“He did this mock applause after Liz Truss left the interview chair, was then immediately asked for his reaction and he said: ‘She was the dregs of what they’ve got available and the backwash of the available MPs’.”
The MP then suggested that the BBC intentionally booked the comedian because they know “what Joe’s going to deliver”.
Lycett later explained that he’d been booked by Kuenssberg and her team as they wanted to go in a “slightly different direction” with the interview.
The comedian is well-known for his political stunts. Earlier this year he released a fake version of the Sue Gray report, where he suggested that games such as “pass the a**hole” were played.
More recently, the 34-year-old took another dig at the government as he co-hosted the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. He said: “I’m going to do something now that the British government doesn’t always do, and welcome some foreigners – this time from the region of Asia.”
