Labour minister in fiery clash with Nick Ferrari after 'car crash' interview

Labour’s shadow schools minister was involved in a “car crash” interview with LBC’s Nick Ferrari this morning.

Catherine McKinnell appeared on the station to promote her party’s policy of providing free breakfasts to all primary school children. However the interview saw the top Labour politician suffer a toe-curling brain fade, during which she was unable to say how many meals her party would have to provide.

Asked by Mr Ferrari how many breakfasts the Government will provide to children, Ms McKinnell said she didn’t “have that figure to hand”, causing the LBC presenter to react with astonishment at the lack of clarity.

He blasted: “So the Labour Party is putting out a policy that every primary school child will have a breakfast, and you don’t know how many children we’re talking about?”

She falteringly replied: “So we’ve costed it on the basis of…”

However before she could continue, Mr Ferrari interrupted to point out he wasn’t talking about costings, but how many breakfasts will have to be made.

“You don’t know how many breakfasts have got to be made?!”

The stumbling politician replied: “I don’t have that figure to hand, no I’m sorry.”

An astonished Mr Ferrari pointed out: “If you don’t know how much it costs, how do you price it?

“You don’t know the number of breakfasts you’ve got to order, do you?”

Ms McKinnell insisted Labour has costed their policy on the basis of the number of breakfasts, but she just didn’t have that figure to hand.

Responding to the clip, Tory deputy chairman Jonathan Gullis described it as an “absolute car crash”.

He said: “Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour continue to use the Diane Abbot school of mathematics”.

“You simply can’t trust Labour with your hard earned money or your children’s future.”

Labour claims their plan for free breakfasts will save parents £400 per year, and argues it would cut 450,000 days of school absence.