Watch: Osborne’s deputy’s deputy’s deputy’s deputy Chloe Smith gets Paxo’d

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Green Politics

Watch: Chloe Smith, who on her last appearance on Newsnight didn't know the difference between deficit and debt, was humiliated again over the fuel duty u-turn.

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Chloe Smith, who on her last appearance on Newsnight didn’t know the difference between deficit and debt, was humiliated again last night over the fuel duty u-turn, hung out to dry by George Osborne, Danny Alexander, Mark Hoban and David Gauke.

Watch it:

 

See also:

• Balls: Osborne’s scrapping of fuel tax “fastest U-turn in history” 26 Jun 2012

 

As the Telegraph’s Daniel Knowles blogged this morning, it was pure Thick of It stuff, the government omnishambling along from one u-turn to another:

Ms Smith doesn’t have an easy job – like David Guake, the other junior Treasury minister, she is usually wheeled out when the government has done something indefensible.

It cannot be fun to go on a TV programme expected to stick to a script that appears not to have even been written. But when she couldn’t answer a single question, from “when were you told” to “how are you paying for this”, her inexperience really did show.

And I couldn’t help but be reminded of this, from The Thick of It – junior minister “Ben Swaine” is interviewed by Paxman. Watch from 45 seconds in. “I’d like to answer that question Jeremy, and I’m sure you’d like to rush me into an answer”, says Swaine, while blinking weirdly.

Familiar?

Smith had earlier been subjected to a grilling on Channel Four News – yet it seems all the preparation in the world isn’t enough when thrown to the wolves by that brave, chivalrous Mr Osborne and his pals.

 

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27 Responses to “Watch: Osborne’s deputy’s deputy’s deputy’s deputy Chloe Smith gets Paxo’d”

  1. Chris Kelsey

    WATCH: Osborne's deputy's deputy's deputy's deputy Chloe Smith gets Paxo'd: http://t.co/5nSnkMQY by @ShamikDas #FuelTax #Newsnight

  2. Katie Stanton

    Here's the vid of Chloe Smith on Newsnight last night: http://t.co/yMHYBtFP #PMQs

  3. Knut Cayce

    See what happens when Tories have to defend indefensible policies: http://t.co/zWxcfc9i #PMQs

  4. Anonymous

    Since Gordon Brown stated he wanted to pay down the deficit, he doesn’t know the difference either.

    So come on Shamik. time for you to ‘fess up.

    How much debt does the government have?

    Remember, just as debt and deficit are different, debt and borrowing aren’t the same thing either.

    Somehow, I doubt you will admit to the other debts that are off the books.

  5. Simon Evans

    Here's the vid of Chloe Smith on Newsnight last night: http://t.co/yMHYBtFP #PMQs

Comments are closed.