Robert Jenrick accused ITV of "outright corruption" during a heated exchange on Good Morning Britain with presenters Paul Brand and Ranvir Singh. The MP for Newark appeared on the programme on Thursday, with much of the interview focused on comments made by Raheem Kassam about Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, and whether Jenrick considered the remarks racist.
Comments about Tory leader
Kassam, who was Chief of Staff under Nigel Farage's former party UKIP, sparked controversy after describing the Tory leader as a "Nigerian scammer" in a post on X, and warned people against handing over their bank details. The comments prompted accusations that Kassam had used racist language. However, Jenrick said he did not believe the remarks were racist, adding that he pays little attention to comments made by journalists.
Jenrick repeatedly insisted that he did not consider Kassam's remarks as racist, before criticising the presenters for devoting most of the interview to asking him about the comments. He also took aim at Brand and Singh over their earlier interview with Badenoch, who had appeared on the programme shortly before him.
Scrutiny of other parties
Slamming their line of questioning, Jenrick asked why Badenoch had not been challenged on why 24 out of 25 Tories had ended up the House of Lords, before suggesting ITV should do more to hold other political parties to account. "That's outright corruption," he claimed.
Brand challenged Jenrick over whether he was suggesting ITV fails to apply the same scrutiny to other parties. "Not in my experience," Jenrick hit back, prompting Brand to insist that ITV remains impartial when interviewing politicians from any party.
Viewer reactions
The debate left fans divided, with many criticising the presenters for the interview. "Oh dear! Car crash interview for Ranvir and Brand! Well done @RobertJenrick #GMB," one viewer posted on X.
Another said: "Wow, That wasn’t a political interview, it was an attempted assassination of Jenrick. Shame it was conducted by Ranvir Singh and Paul Brand; the journalistic equivalent of ordering Paxman from Ebay and receiving Ant and Dec from Poundland." A third echoed: "Well done Jenrick ...about time these lot were called out Like watching a labour party conference."
Others believed the presenters handled the interview well, with one writing: "Well done Paul Brand and Ranvir Singh. Proper interviewing of Jenrick. I’m glad they were on today rather than Madeley etc. He wasn’t expecting to be properly interviewed." Another agreed: "Honest bob jenrick on #GMB getting upset at being asked questions and forgetting he was in government that caused all the shit we are dealing with now." Someone else added: "Robert Jenrick really comes across as a right piece of work doesnt he?"
