Good Morning Britain host Kate Garraway made an apology after getting into an awkward exchange with a Government minister.
Climate Minister Graham Stuart appeared on Friday’s edition of the ITV show, following a warning from the National Grid that the UK could face blackouts this winter due to a gas shortage. The electricity system operator said that in the worst-case scenario, planned three-hour power cuts could be introduced to ensure that the network does not collapse.
MP Graham Stuart addressed these warnings, saying that the National Grid had issued similar messaging in previous winters concerning power and energy saving as he claimed that blackouts were “very unlikely”. But the minister clashed with presenter Kate as she challenged his claims, The Mirror reports .
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Kate replied: “I think that's a little bit disingenuous, if I may say, because...” to which Stuart frowned and hit back: “That’s strong.”
“Not the very unlikely [bit]”, Kate clarified. “The National Grid does definitely say every winter advice on energy saving, but they don't specifically warn, do they, that we might have three-hour blackouts in the way they have this time?”
“But you're right, it is very unlikely,” the host conceded - but Stuart was not prepared to let her earlier statement go.
“So Kate, very unlikely, and you accuse me of being disingenuous and that's quite a strong word,” he said. “I just think you should withdraw…”
Kate then interrupted: “I just mean at your point where you say they do it every winter, and I think that makes it seem like it's made up whereas actually, when you look at it it's the first time I have ever seen it.”
“Well, they do do it every winter,” the MP butted in. “That's down to you Kate rather than them, they do do it every winter and they've said that the risks are higher than previous years, but still extremely unlikely.”
He added: “Nothing about that is disingenuous and I think it's very important, especially when dealing with something of this seriousness, that unless I do make a factual error, which I am doubtless capable of, that you don't accuse me of doing something which I haven't done.”
Kate then apologised, saying: “Absolutely, and I do apologise and I only meant it on that specific point.”
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