TV

Piers Morgan lays into Dan Walker over Matt Hancock interview

He thought Dan gave him an easy ride…

By Entertainment Daily

Controversial morning TV host Piers Morgan has laid into BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker over his interview with health secretary Matt Hancock.

Government ministers, including Hancock, have been shunning Good Morning Britain throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

It’s thought they’re fearful of a tongue-lashing from Piers.

So the news that Hancock was appearing on his rival show today didn’t go down well with the former newspaper editor, who naturally tuned in.

Matt Hancock was on BBC Breakfast today (Credit: BBC)

Hancock was on the show to discuss all the latest on COVID-19, including the toughening of lockdown measures in Leicester.

Testing times

Dan Walker also asked him about problems with the government’s testing system.

Read more: Piers Morgan struggled to breathe and could ‘barely talk’ as illness left him bedridden

The MP said testing “didn’t add anything to the battle against coronavirus” and didn’t help people with lockdown “at a local level”.

But Piers wasn’t having any of it.

Dan Walker grilled Matt Hancock about government policy on coronavirus (Credit: BBC)

He had already mocked BBC Breakfast on Twitter and, after watching the clip, it appears Piers couldn’t help but chip in again.

Clashing with Dan on Twitter over the ongoing GMB “boycott”, Piers told him: “Relax, we’ll ask all the follow-ups you don’t dare ask in case they boycott you too.”

Read more: Piers Morgan apologises to GMB viewers after row with Susanna Reid live on air

Dan then teased Piers that Hancock was on his show and not Good Morning Britain.

It is essential that politicians are allowed to speak. The idea (from some) that we, and others, don’t challenge ministers is completely untrue.

Back on screen, Dan asked Hancock why they were no longer telling the public the number of daily coronavirus tests being taken.

“An easy ride”

The health secretary suggested it was no longer “meaningful”.

Matt Hancock declined to go on GMB with Piers Morgan (Credit: ITV)

Piers did not accept this excuse – and said Dan was giving Hancock “an easy ride”.

After showing a clip of the interview on GMB, Piers stunned co-host Susanna Reid as he shouted: “Get in there Walker, for goodness sake man.”

Piers added that BBC viewers would not get the answers they were looking for.

But Susanna told him: “Now you’re ranting at presenters on other programmes,” to which he replied: “He’s getting the interviews because he won’t jump in.”

Piers also said Hancock was talking “complete nonsense” and asked: “What are you talking about health secretary?”

Twitter spat #2

However, it didn’t end there.

Dan later took to Twitter and made what appeared to be a statement defending the interview from Piers’ criticism.

“It is essential that politicians are allowed to speak. The idea (from some) that we, and others, don’t challenge ministers is completely untrue,” he said.

“Important to ask questions, important to press, important to let you listen Thanks for watching.”

And when Piers tweeted him to say that Dan “blew it” with the Hancock interview, Dan thanked him for tuning in.

“Maybe, if you didn’t make every interview about you, you might get a few decent political guests,” he hit back.

Ouch!

The row keeps on coming

The row raged on for hours after the shows ended.

At 5pm tonight, Dan tweeted to say that BBC Breakfast has double the viewers of GMB.

Piers was having none of it, though.

Determined to have the last word, he disputed Dan’s facts and pulled out some figures of his own.

We think this one is going to run and run…

Head to our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and tell us what you think of Piers’ latest spat.

Related Topics

BBC Breakfast Dan Walker Good Morning Britain Matt Hancock Piers Morgan