Boris Johnson “wasn’t fully across” the ITV daytime line-up when he asked “Who's Lorraine?” on live television.
The Prime Minister appeared to be completely out of touch with the viewing public when he asked who breakfast broadcasting legend Lorraine Kelly was at the end of a gruelling tv interview on Tuesday.
After GMB presenter Susanna Reid carpeted the Prime Minister on everything from his basic honesty to the huge challenges facing viewers on soaring food and fuel prices, Johnson was left flummoxed by her link back to the studio.
At the end of the Downing Street interview, Reid went to hand over to Lorraine Kelly for her daytime programme, when Johnson interrupted her, saying: “Who’s Lorraine?”
Reid replied: “Who’s Lorraine…? Lorraine’s a legend.”
Johnson appeared to have misunderstood the situation, thinking he was being passed over to Kelly for another interview.
As the cameras cut back to the Scottish presenter in the studio, he was heard to mutter: “Fantastic, well I didn’t think I was talking to Lorraine, OK…”
The Prime Minister’s spokesman later made excuses for his apparent ignorance.
The official said: “I think, as was clear, that the Prime Minister was not fully across the ITV daytime line-up this morning. As you will appreciate he has a number of issues to deal with on his desk.”
Although the Prime Minister was roundly mocked online for not knowing who the famous Scottish broadcaster is, others pointed out that it was simply another of another of Johnson’s instinctive diversions to throw attention away from a shockingly bad interview.
Under fire from Reid, Johnson defended oil company profits against a windfall tax and squirmed when asked if he had been honest about the partygate scandals.
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