Richard Madeley put Robert Jenrick on the spot during his return to Good Morning Britain, questioning him about a recent microphone mishap. The Reform UK MP had made headlines last week after being caught on a live mic saying an interview on the same show was "a waste of time."
The Mic Blunder
Jenrick had been speaking to Susanna Reid and Ed Balls when, after the interview ended, he appeared unaware his microphone was still active. As the programme moved to another segment, his comment was picked up.
Returning to the ITV show this week alongside presenter Kate Garraway, Madeley could not resist raising the issue. Before starting the interview, he said: "But first... you did join us on the programme last week. Then afterwards we heard you say that you thought the interview you'd just done was a waste of time."
Footage of the moment was played, showing Jenrick making the remark and Ed Balls responding: "I think it wasn't a waste of time."
Madeley's Teasing
"You see, the mics are always live!" teased Richard. The politician laughed: "Yeah, you, would have thought I'd learned that by now wouldn't you? I've been doing this for a while." Kate noted it wasn't "that bad" as Jenrick had returned.
"Exactly," he said. "You know, it's just a bit frustrating because you come on these programmes and you want to talk about the issues that I think the public are asking me about. And sometimes they get distracted by Westminster tittle tattle. But I'm not accusing you guys of this."
Madeley then asked about the difficulty of interviews done remotely. "But sometimes also, it is quite difficult doing these interviews down the line, isn't it?" Jenrick admitted it can be. "You need the body language and the face language," said Richard, to which Jenrick agreed it's better to be in person.
Wrap-Up
As the interview concluded, Madeley inquired: "Was it a waste of time?" The trio laughed as Jenrick insisted: "It was not a waste of time!"
Good Morning Britain airs on ITV from 6am.
