James Cleverly admitted that the Tories may have flown the Union Jack flag the wrong way up in an election video on defence.
The Home Secretary was grilled on the flag mistake when appearing on Sky News.
Presenter Kay Burley asked him about the “challenges” in the video.
Mr Cleverly responded: “When you put out a campaign video you get criticism.”
Pressed about the flag, he laughs before adding: “It’s a video of the flag, I’m not sure...”
Pressed whether he had noticed anything wrong with it, he said: “I noticed actually when it was highlighted to me..
“When I watched the video I was concentrating on our commitment to defence.”
Labour and the Tories are locked in a fierce battle over which is the best party on defence.
Questioned by Ms Burley over what was wrong about the flag, he added: “I can see that the video has obviously been transposed or it’s been flown upside down.”
Challenged over whether it was the latter, he admitted: “Quite possibly but the majority of that video is about our commitment to defence spending, about putting more police on the beat..about protecting British people...if you want to obsess about a video of a flag...”
Ms Burley then suggested that flying the flag upside down was a sign of “distress”, which some political commentators say is a state gripping the Tory Party after the double blow of Nigel Farage becoming Reform UK leader and a poll showing a landslide Labour victory.
Mr Cleverly, who joined the army after leaving school and has served in the TA, responded: “No it doesn’t, this is complete nonsense.”
She insisted she had checked with “top brass” who said it did mean “distress”
“It really doesn’t,” insisted the Home Secretary.
Asked whether the party would recut the video, which features Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and tanks, he emphasised: “I don’t think that is worth redoing a whole video over..the majority of that video is about protecting the British people.”
