Good Morning Britain turned visibly tense on Wednesday, July 22, after Robert Jenrick joined Ed Balls and Susanna Reid on the programme. A former Tory MP, he was on hand to discuss the viral clip of Wes Streeting and Shabana Mahmood joking about Labour's early release prison scheme.
Jenrick criticises government failures
Asked how the UK had ended up in this position, Jenrick began by criticising the current Labour government and the previous Conservative government for failing to build new prisons or reduce the backlog of criminal cases that had piled up. "Nothing exemplifies the failure of the British state and our politics more than this," he argued on the show.
Reid questions Jenrick's responsibility
Susanna Reid asked the former Tory MP if he felt "shame" for the state of the UK's prison system. "And, of course, you must accept some responsibility, don't you? As a former government minister," quipped Reid. "When you criticise the former Conservative government, that was a government of which you were a minister in the Home Office, responsible for policing. Do you feel a sense of shame?"
Noting that there had been "chronic failures," the Reform treasury spokesman clarified that he resigned from the last Conservative government because of "its failures" and "ultimately left it".
Interview grows awkward
As Reid steered the conversation back to the fact that Jenrick was part of the previous Conservative government, the interview grew awkward. "I wouldn't absolve this government of responsibility as you seem to be," the former MP fired back. "Sorry, Mr Jenrick. When did I absolve this government? No, but don't make a criticism of me that is untrue," Reid returned.
"Most of this conversation has been about the past rather than the present," Jenrick pointed out, as he and Reid began talking over one another.
