Brexiteer erupts with fury after taking exception with Boris Johnson being branded ‘a liar’

When deputy chairwoman of the European Research Group Andrea Jenkyns was asked if the prime minister is reneging on his commitments he signed up to with the Withdrawal Agreement, she appeared to dismiss the question and turn her attention to a tweet from her Labour opponent Chris Bryant.

The opposition politician had previously tweeted: ‘It’s one thing being sacked for lying and getting a personal reputation as a liar (@BorisJohnson) but when you break an international agreement less than a year after signing it you taunt your country’s renown.’

Jenkyns told viewers of All Out Politics: ‘We’re trying to protect the UK in the event of a no-dealt that EU law is not imposed on us, which I think is the right thing to do’.

But Bryant disagreed with the Tory position, telling viewers: ‘Boris Johnson went to the country last year very clearly saying ‘we have a deal, it’s a perfect deal, it’s a magnificent deal. He used every hyperbolic phrase in the dictionary to explain how wonderful a deal it was, but now he’s saying it’s a rubbish deal and it isn’t clear.

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‘My suspicious is that he never read it in the first place, because he’s not a man for detail.

‘We have a tradition in this country that our word is our bond, and when you sign a treaty you don’t go back on it. My fear is what the government is doing day in and day out is just trailing Britain’s national reputation for honesty, decency, and standing by its word through the mud.’

Questioned by Jenkins about Johnson’s back-tracking, she told Adam Boulton: ‘This is a negotiation, you try to prove on things, and let’s face it the EU has not stuck to anything of their word on this.

‘But let’s get back to Chris Bryant. Chris, how dare you call the prime minister a liar, when look at your party.’

Jenkyns went on a rant about how Labour wanted to ‘thwart Brexit’ before claiming that the party had voted the ‘biggest arch-Remainer’ it had.

It prompted presenter Boulton to intervene to say: ‘Actually I want to turn this back to you, because actually it’s a Conservative government with a large majority at the moment. This might be politically about turning the guns on Labour and asking where they stand, but I haven’t noticed this Labour Party opposing Brexit, but what this shows is the Conservative Party are putting campaigning ahead of the interests of the country.

‘Attack Labour and attack a treaty you signed yourself, and don’t actually get on with the hard work of reaching an agreement in the interests of everyone in this country.’

Bryant, meanwhile, doubled down on his claims. He responded: ‘The prime minister is a liar. It’s a proven fact. He’s admitted he’s a liar. What I don’t care about is him lying as an individual… but what I do worry about is Britain is now getting a reputation for being a country which doesn’t stand by its word.’

Viewers were exasperated by the response from Jenkyns, who appeared to turn the debate into an argument about Labour.

‘Could Andrea Jenkyns’ contribution to the Brexit fray be more irrelevant? It’s all Labour’s fault just doesn’t do it,’ said Diane Hain.

‘Well that was embarrassing to watch on #SkyNews Andrea Jenkyns with no answers just attacking Labour and the usual nonsensical slogans ‘take back control!!!’,’ wrote another.

‘Listening to Andrea Jenkyns trying to lay the blame at Labour’s door for the Conservatives shooting down their own Brexit deal is real eye rolling stuff,’ tweeted Eddie James.