BBC Breakfast took an awkward turn as presenter Roger Johnson had to step in twice to ask Defence Secretary Wes Streeting to keep his answers short. The former Health Secretary, now Defence Secretary, appeared on the programme on Sunday and gave lengthy responses, causing Johnson to intervene.
Johnson's Polite Requests
Johnson began by asking about US President Donald Trump, referencing Prime Minister Andy Burnham's interview with Laura Kuenssberg. He said: "Laura asked Andy Burnham twice if he trusts Donald Trump, and he didn't say yes, he evaded the answer to the question. I wonder, do you trust the American President?"
Streeting avoided a direct answer, focusing on UK-US ties. Johnson then told him: "Just, the viewers at home will know this, because they may have realised there's quite a long delay on this line. I don't want to keep interrupting you because it doesn't make it very nice for them watching at home. But if you can keep the answers reasonably succinct, because we've only got a limited time with you, and there's quite a bit of ground we want to cover for obvious reasons."
Later in the interview, Johnson again requested shorter replies: "If you can keep the answers short, that would be really, really great, because I have got a bit of ground to try and cover."
Viewers React
Viewers tuning into the show, co-hosted by Luxmy Gopal, took to social media to comment. One wrote on X: "Roger Johnson subtly and politely asking Wes Streeting to keep his answers brief." Another jested: "Someone take Wes's batteries out." One viewer said: "In other words, stop yer blabbering..." Another noted: "Roger's tactful way of telling Wes to get to the f****** point," adding a thumbs-up emoji. A different viewer observed: "Wes isn't shutting up is he? Lol." Another chuckled: "He's struggling lol," while someone joked: "Just answer the question, Wes." However, one viewer maintained that Streeting was "very articulate."
BBC Breakfast airs on BBC One from 6am.
