A Newsnight interview went awkwardly haywire when a protester savagely heckled a Conservative MP during a live segment.
Andrew Bridgen appeared live from Westminster while chatting to presenter Faisal Islam in the studio about the scandalous ‘Partygate’ inquiry regarding lockdown parties at Downing Street.
At one point, the Tory MP stated: ‘They’re questions that Sue Gray needs to ask Mr [Dominic] Cummings,’ but he struggled to get the sentence out as a nearby protester began shouting anti Tory Government sentiments.
Islam attempted to move on despite the interruption from protester Steve Bray, saying: ‘The number of MPs that have gone public though alongside you are still in single figures… I understand you’ve got a bit of a distraction on College Green, but I understand that it’s still in single figures.’
Mr Bridgen then swiped: ‘The village idiot is out,’ to which Bray retorted: ‘No, the village idiot is in front of the camera. A liar, a cheat and a charlatan.’
As the minister awkwardly continued the interview, the protester suddenly appeared on screen behind Mr Bridgen, holding placards that read: ‘What a crock of s**t,’ and ‘Get your Johnson out of our democracy.’
Andrew Bridgen spoke to presenter Faisal Islam about the Partygate inquiry (Picture: BBC)
Mr Bridgen branded the protester a ‘village idiot’ (Picture: BBC)
One placard read: ‘Toxic Tories destroying our nation,’ while another said: ‘Save our democracy.’
Islam later ‘apologised for the language displayed behind you there’ in reference to the expletives seen on Bray’s signs.
Bray is a notorious anti-Brexit protester and stood as a general election candidate for the Liberal Democrats in Wales in 2019, but lost in the Cynon Valley seat.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Government is under immense pressure after it emerged a spate of parties were held at Downing Street during lockdown in 2020.
The PM apologised in the House of Commons last week after it was revealed he even attended one himself, at a time when his cabinet had placed the country under strict Covid rules that prevented socialising.
He has since been interviewed by civil servant Gray who is leading the investigation into the lockdown breaches.
Newsnight airs weeknights at 10:30pm on BBC Two.
