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Now this is a satisfying watch. Author John O’Farrell, who has also wrote scripts for Have I Got News For You and Spitting Image, put his political nous to good use on Sunday during a fiery exchange with Laura Kuenssberg.
The BBC host, often accused of being too lenient on Conservatives accused of wrongdoing, raised the Angela Rayner matter with her panel. The Deputy Labour Leader is accused of impropriety regarding her tax affairs from more than a decade ago.
However, O’Farrell wasn’t in the mood to blindly follow this topic of conversation. He pointed out that The Mail, who first reported on Rayner’s situation, are simply trying to push a ‘non-story’ to ease the pressure on a beleaguered Tory party.
Not only did he dismantle the arguments made against Labour’s second-in-command, but he also dished out a lecture to Laura Kuenssberg, curtly reminding her that the BBC doesn’t have to cover a story ‘just because The Mail says so’.
Ouch. The timing of Kuenssberg’s change of subject also irked O’Farrell, who openly asked why there was little discussion regarding Yvette Cooper’s pleas to tackle violence against women. Needless to say, he was on one…
“I think this is such a ridiculous non-story. There’s war in Ukraine and the Middle East, but we are talking about this gossip. It seems the police have to act within the first year of the offence to secure a prosecution.”
“I hope all the other crimes in Manchester have been solved before they spend time on this. And Laura, I have to say, for you as a broadcaster and the BBC, you don’t have to cover this story just because The Mail has pushed it. It’s not a story.” | John O’Farrell
You can watch John O’Farrell clash with Laura Kuenssberg here:
