A Tory minister has been caught on reside TV attempting to magnify the variety of Labour MPs who’re quitting parliament.
Gareth Davies, the exchequer secretary to the Treasury, informed Sky Information that “practically 50” opposition members had introduced that they’re standing down on the election.
However in a significant embarrassment for the Treasury minister – who is meant to be good with numbers – presenter Anna Jones needed to inform him that the true determine is just one-third of what he stated.
The variety of Labour MPs who’ve up to now stated they won’t search re-election is 17.
The conflict got here after Theresa Might turned the sixtieth Tory MP to announce that they’re standing down.
Jones informed the minister: “I believe that makes it near 60 Tory MPs, that’s round a sixth of the celebration, selecting to face down on the subsequent election. It seems like there are a number of Tory MPs which have made their minds up in regards to the celebration’s prospects on the subsequent election.”
Davies replied: “I believe there’s practically 50 Labour MPs as nicely, simply to be fully balanced about this.
“That is what occurs once you method a brand new election and [it’s] fully affordable for individuals to determine that it’s time to go, significantly after they’ve been within the Home of Commons for a very long time and each has made their very own choice for private causes.”
However later within the interview, Jones stated: “I’m simply going to choose you up on one thing you stated earlier.
“The variety of Labour MPs standing down on the subsequent election is extra like 17 reasonably than nearer to 50.”
Davies stated she ought to “perhaps take a look” on the quantity, despite the fact that it was fully correct.