Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan called out the Conservatives for “inexplicably doctoring” one of their videos on the show today.
James Cleverly defended the heavily edited video, saying it showed Shadow Brexit Minister Sir Keir Starmer could not explain Labour’s Brexit position.
But Morgan took him to the cleaners in response.
He said:
“With respect, as Johnny Mercer, your own MP has said this morning, that makes it all the more inexplicable that you would then doctor the video giving the Labour Party a get out.
“You had enough there to after them”.
In the minute-long video posted on the party’s Twitter account yesterday, Sir Keir is questioned by Morgan and Susanna Reid over Labour’s Brexit policy.
The video ends with Sir Keir staring at the camera after being asked by Mr Morgan: “Why would the EU give you a good deal if they know you are going to actively campaign against it?”
However, in the original interview on Tuesday, Sir Keir actually replied to the host: “Well, Piers, I have been talking to the EU, to political leaders across the EU27 countries for three years, and I know very well what the parameters are of any deal that they would do with a Labour government.
“We actually explored some of it in the cross-party talks that we were in with the Government six months or so ago, so I know that a customs union and single market alignment and protection of workers’ rights and environmental rights and consumer rights is something that can be negotiated.”
The edited video has been shared by a number of Conservative parliamentary candidates, including Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
But Conservative lawmaker Johnny Mercer today apologised for posting it.
He said: “It would appear this has inexplicably been doctored at the end. I apologise and will remove it. The original interview was bad enough – I have no idea why this needed altering”.
Related: James Cleverly dubbed the “empty chair man” after refusing to do Sky News interview
