Richard Madeley clashed with a Labour minister on Good Morning Britain after predicting a "PR nightmare" for the government over its prison early release scheme.
During Monday's episode of the ITV programme, Madeley and co-host Kate Garraway spoke to business minister Chris McDonald about the government's policies.
Exchange over prison scheme
While discussing Prime Minister Andy Burnham's review of the early release scheme, McDonald said Labour didn't "want to be in this position" and were "racing to catch up" with mismanagement of the prison system under the Conservatives.
McDonald said the priority was keeping the most dangerous prisoners behind bars and ensuring "cell space" for incoming perpetrators of serious crimes. Garraway attempted to calm the conversation, saying she didn't think viewers thought "you want to do this", but that it was still a "national crisis".
Madeley's warning
While McDonald clarified there were no "easy solutions", Madeley suggested this could prove a problem for Labour's public image.
"The PR nightmare for you is coming down the tracks, isn't it?" asked Madeley, to which McDonald interjected: "Richard, no, hang on! You said it's a PR nightmare; I'm not concerned about PR. I'm concerned about prisoner safety and the safety of the general public."
Madeley shot back that McDonald perhaps "should be" concerned, as the scheme was rolled out and the consequences were seen in the real world. "When it stops being a prospect – which there's still time to reverse – when it actually happens, there's going to be a massive, overwhelming backlash against it. That's what I mean," he said.
Minister's response
In response, McDonald said "the government is not making decisions on prisons and prisoner releases based on PR".
"This isn't about public relations, this is about making the right decisions for justice, for victims, for the safety of the general public," he said. "I'm not remotely thinking about the PR of this, and I'm absolutely certain the Prime Minister isn't either."
Garraway then interjected again, clarifying her fellow presenter's point by saying: "OK, of course it is. I don't think Richard meant public relations in terms of press, I think he meant that you're going to feel the force of people's anger."
