Wes Streeting faced a wave of criticism from Good Morning Britain viewers after his appearance on the ITV programme, with some branding him "clueless" and comparing him to a "rabbit in headlights."
The Defence Secretary was questioned by presenters Susanna Reid and Ed Balls following the news that five men had been arrested over a suspected bomb plot at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. It emerged that the plot was foiled when a farmer spotted the men wearing balaclavas in white vans near the airbase and alerted police, rather than through counter-terrorism intelligence.
Streeting's restricted response
When asked what he could tell viewers about the incident and whether the government was on top of the situation, Streeting explained that he was limited in the details he could share.
"As you'll understand there is a live police investigation underway. So I'm fairly restricted this morning in terms of what I can say," he told the presenters.
Streeting began by thanking the farmer who alerted the authorities, as well as the counter-terrorism police officers who arrested the five men and took them into custody.
Presenter presses on farmer's concerns
As he attempted to steer the conversation away from the incident and towards the government's plans to deliver the "biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War," Susanna was quick to interject.
"Can we just go back to what this farmer came across? She's spoken to The Sun, says she believed she spotted more than the five men arrested. Are you still looking for others?" the ITV host asked.
Streeting responded: "Because it's a live police investigation, I'm restricted in what I can say this morning."
This led Susanna to argue that local people should be aware if the police are looking for other men involved in the plot.
Viewers react online
The Labour politician was ridiculed online, with several viewers suggesting he was unaware about what was actually happening.
One wrote: "Wes Streeting on #GMB He always has the 'rabbit in the headlights' look on his face and talks utter scripted s**t."
A second said: "#wesstreeting is clueless.... This government are a load of amateurs."
Another echoed: "Basically Wes you don't have a clue do you? He looks like a rabbit in headlights!"
