BBC News anchor loses her cool with Labour spokesperson for lack of clarity on Brexit

Emily Maitlis interviews Nadhim Zahawi and Barry Gardiner on BBC Newsnight. - Credit: Archant

BBC Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis lost her cool as a Labour spokesperson fails to give an adequate response to Labour’s position on Brexit.

Maitlis was taking no prisoners during the latest edition of the BBC political programme as she asked Conservative MP Nadhim Zahawi who was really running the country, and Ian Paisley why the Democratic Unionist Party were not representing the best interests of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The programme aired just hours after MPs once again voted against Theresa May’s Brexit deal, leaving parliament in a state of paralysis.

But it was Maitlis’ exchange was with the shadow trade secretary Barry Gardiner that was most notable as she questioned him about Labour’s position on Brexit.

She asked: ‘If there is a general election called next week, which there is every likelihood could happen, what will be on your manifesto? What Brexit vision will be on your manifesto?’

Gardiner replied it was ‘to negiotiate the deal we have set out’ before Maitlis snapped back asking ‘that’s going to be on your leaflet?’

He continued: ‘Well… we will decide what our manifesto position is, as we normally do. It’s a democratic party, it’s not made up of one person on Newsnight as you know. So we will decide that…’

An exasperated Maitlis responded: ‘It’s not fair enough at all, people are literally pulling their hair tonight.’

It prompted the Tory MP to chip in with ‘peddlers of chaos.’

Maitlis, who was scribbling notes on her papers as he waffled, then tried to move back to Ian Paisley as Gardiner continued to try to outline Labour’s position, but the presenter appeared disinterested.

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‘It’s not peddlers of chaos, it’s trying to say that this prime minister, the deal she has tried to negiotiate, she has failed over two and a half years.

‘We have tried put forward a reasonable alternative which the EU has said is a game-changer. This government is now structuring things to refuse to allow parliament to allow to do it.

‘That is why next week parliament must take back control.’