Jacqui Smith slammed Bernie Ecclestone for his comments about Vladimir Putin on Good Morning Britain during her own appearance on the ITV show on Friday.
The former Formula One boss had a car-crash interview with hosts Ben Shephard and Kate Garraway on Thursday, where he shocked viewers with his comments regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin.
When Kate asked 91-year-old Bernie if he still regarded the politician as a friend following the invasion of Ukraine, Bernie simply replied: "I'd still take a bullet for him. Id' rather he didn't hurt, but I'd still take a bullet for him."
Speaking from Ibiza he continued to explain why, saying: "Because he's a first class person and what he's doing is something that he believed was the right thing he was doing for Russia."
Bernie's comments provoked outrage online and were discussed further during Friday's edition of Good Morning Britain.
Former Labour Home Secretary Jacqui was on the couch discussing the day's headlines with presenters Ben and Kate when she made her feeling about the ex F1 boss clear.
"Well, Bernie Ecclestone’s an idiot. I don’t know quite on what basis he was doing that interview. It was utterly shocking," she declared on the ITV show.
Host Ben mused that perhaps Russian drivers being banned from F1 amid the war in Ukraine could be the basis for Bernie's controversial comment.
"There is a lot of controversy within that world and there's a lot of controversy around that and it's interesting getting his take on it," the presenter told his guests during the discussion.
"With Russia being taken out of the Formula 1 calendar and banning Russian drivers but it's interesting in getting his take on it."
Guest Ed Vaizy hit back with: "You can make a lot of money and still be a moron."
During his infamous interview on Thursday, Bernie seemingly suggested Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy should return to his career in the entertainment industry rather than continue in politics.
Discussing Putin and his invasion of Russia's neighbouring country, Bernie said: "Unfortunately, he's like a lot of business person - certainly like me - that we make mistakes from time-to-time. And when you've made a mistake, you have to do the best you can to get out of it and I think if it had been conducted properly...
"I mean, the other person in Ukraine, I mean his profession I understand, he used to be a comedian and it seems he wants to continue that profession because I think if he had thought about things and made a big enough effort to speak to Mr Putin, who is a sensible person and would have listened to him and could have probably done something about it," he continued.
Following the explosive interview a spokesperson for F1 has said: "The comments made by Bernie Ecclestone are his personal views and are in very stark contrast to the position of the modern values of our sport."
*Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am
