Radio silence: Government, Labour and DUP tell top figures to stay off air
Nick Robinson
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
You may also want to watch:
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.
Most Read
- 1 European parliament agrees to add British overseas territories to post-Brexit tax haven blacklist
- 2 Pro-Brexit fishing campaigner says Boris Johnson's deal has left her with 'no fish'
- 3 Minister terminates interview after suggesting public's age and weight to blame for UK's high death toll
- 4 This picture of Boris Johnson on the phone to Joe Biden has caused a stir
- 5 Telegraph columnist blames Angela Merkel for Brexit
- 6 Boris Johnson to visit Scotland this week in attempt to shore up the union
- 7 Brexiteer calls for UK to save Eurostar - by buying it and renaming it 'Britstar'
- 8 Petition launched to cancel 'festival of Brexit' event in 2022
- 9 Brussels to launch campaign teaching younger Britons about the EU
- 10 Piers Morgan defends interview with Thérèse Coffey after accusations of 'bullying'
Become a Supporter
The New European is proud of its journalism and we hope you are proud of it too. We believe our voice is important - both in representing the pro-EU perspective and also to help rebalance the right wing extremes of much of the UK national press. If you value what we are doing, you can help us by making a contribution to the cost of our journalism.
