A LIBERAL Democrat by-election candidate has admitted to being “unable” to answer basic questions about her constituency during an excruciating interview.
Sarah Dyke is standing in the Somerset and Frome by-election after ex-Conservative MP David Warburton announced his resignation following an investigation into accusations of harassment and drug use, which triggered yet another by-election caused by a Tory MP standing down.
But during an interview with The Guardian Politics Weekly podcast, Dyke abruptly ended the conversation after being asked to speak about the general economic state of the constituency.
John Harris, a political columnist for The Guardian, asked Dyke whether the perception of the constituency as affluent told the whole story.
Excruciating (!) interview with the @LibDems Somerton & Frome candidate pic.twitter.com/b0X0V1o6gJ
— Kane Emerson (@KaneEmerson) June 22, 2023
However, after attempting to answer the question she stopped to complain that she had drank her coffee far too quickly.
“There is obviously, it does have a look of affluence in the area,” she said. “I mean it’s a beautiful area, we’re very, very lucky to live in this part of the world.
“But there are pockets of depravation … excuse me, because I’m just having my coffee”
Harris then says that she “shouldn’t have had the extra shots”.
Dyke replied: “It’s just because I’ve drank coffee too fast because I haven’t had a coffee since about 7 o’clock this morning.”
After briefly composing herself Dyke added: “Right, what do you want to know? Something or a subject that I don’t know anything about that I’m not going to be able to give you answer for very sensibly or articulately."
He then asks her about the general economic state of the constituency.
“Yeah, I mean there’s pockets of depravation. I mean what else, what can we say on that really. I don’t feel that I’m prepared at all for this. It’s all getting a little bit above my station, sorry.”
Harris replied: “But you’re about to stand in a by-election. You’re going to get much, much more exacting questioners than us, do you know what I mean?”
Dyke, who currently serves as a councillor in Somerset Council, then appeared to end the interview.
When announcing her candidacy earlier this month Dyke said that “villages and towns across Somerset and Frome have been taken for granted by the Conservative party for too long".
“I will fight for a fair deal for all our communities and be the hard working local MP people here deserve," she said.
