'Raab needs to drop defending Johnson, or his own career is done.'
Following reports that Boris Johnson had been briefed on allegations about Chris Pincher, the deputy minister appeared on Good Morning Britain.
Presenters Susanna Reid and Ed Balls quizzed Raab on whether Boris Johnson knew about the allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
When questioned about Pincher being ‘found guilty’ after an investigation into the claims, Raab – visibly squirming – said no formal disciplinary action was taken against Mr Pincher, despite the investigation having upheld the complaint.
When asked bluntly whether Pincher “was guilty of inappropriate behaviour, or not?”, Raab responded: ‘He was found… the claim was found to be substantiated but we didn’t‘, as Reid interjected: ‘So he was found guilty of inappropriate behaviour?’
The deputy PM then quibbled over the word ‘guilty’ to describe the alleged inappropriate behaviour.
“It was clear [Pincher’s] behaviour was inappropriate” said Raab. “But it did not trip the wire of severity to warrant formal disciplinary process”.
To which Reid replied: “What you did in response is one thing. The fact of the matter is a complaint about inappropriate behaviour was made and investigation was undertaken, and the complaint was upheld.”
The deputy prime minister also told Ed Balls to ‘tread carefully’ with his questioning, while complaining that the questions were often far longer than the time allowed for him to answer them before being interrupted.
The ‘car crash interview of the year’
Raab’s performance was widely mocked, described by journalist and lawyer Peter Stefanovic as “the car crash interview of the year”, as the justice secretary “shamelessly defends the indefensible.”
Television personality Carol Vorderman joined in the criticism, saying she was “embarrassed” watching the interview and advising Raab to “drop defending Johnson” or “his own career is done.”
“Watching @DominicRaab, the Deputy Prime Minister of this appalling lying government, being taken apart on @gmb about the lies lies lies from Number 10 about Chris Pincher. I’m embarrassed for him. Raab needs to drop defending Johnson, or his own career is done,” Voderman tweeted.
Others applauded Susanna Reid and Ed Balls for “absolutely skewering” Dominic Raab.
For a government that is renowned and widely mocked for stumbling through torturous interviews, being given the title of ‘car crash interview of the year’ really is quite something.
Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead is a contributing editor to Left Foot Forward
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