Radio silence: Government, Labour and DUP tell top figures to stay off air

Labour, the Government and the Democratic Unionist Party have all ordered their senior politicians to stay off the airwaves after crunch Brexit talks ended without a deal, BBC presenter Nick Robinson has claimed.

The Radio 4 Today programme host hit back at complaints that representatives from the parties were not appearing on the show for interviews by revealing they all asked their spokesmen not to appear.

Backbench Tory MP, former minister and Hard Brexiteer David Jones did appear on the show, alongside crossbench peer and former top Foreign Office official Lord Ricketts.

But no ministers, shadow cabinet members or senior DUP figures were available for questioning.

Robinson tweeted: “Calling all those complaining that their party is not on @BBCr4today today : the DUP, Tory & Labour press offices asked their spokespeople not to appear”.

Calling all those complaining that their party is not on @BBCr4today today : the DUP, Tory & Labour press offices asked their spokespeople not to appear

— Nick Robinson (@bbcnickrobinson) December 5, 2017

Theresa May is expected to hold talks with the DUP today after the party dashed the prime minister’s hopes of securing agreement on the terms of Britain’s EU withdrawal by refusing to accept proposals which would have shifted Northern Ireland’s customs border to the Irish Sea.