Culture Secretary was embarrassing in defence of PM, says festival boss

The co-founder of Parklife has criticised the Culture Secretary for defending Boris Johnson instead of focusing on industry, saying it is “embarrassing”.

Sacha Lord, the night-time economy adviser for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), said that Nadine Dorries should spend less time “in the media saving Boris’ job” and called for her to resign.

Ms Dorries made headlines on Monday evening after insisting “the Prime Minister tells the truth” amid criticism of comments made by Mr Johnson in Parliament.

During Prime Minister’s Questions on Monday afternoon, Mr Johnson accused Labour Leader Sir Kier Starmer of failing to prosecute paedophile Jimmy Savile.

During her interview with Channel 4, Ms Dorries refused to condemn the comments and instead accused Sir Kier of saying “things he shouldn’t have said”.

Speaking to PA, Mr Lord said: “Boris Johnson should resign, but slowly following him has to be Nadine Dorries – I tried to make contact with her as have colleagues as well and she is not communicating.

“We could do so much if we had a Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport that was actually interested, rather than just spend all of the time in the media saving Boris’ job.

“She doesn’t get culture, she does not get it, I just think it’s embarrassing.

“I hope if there is a reshuffle that we get somebody who understands our industry because we are battered and bruised at the moment.”

Mr Lord, the co-founder of Parklife festival and the popular Warehouse Project club night, was appointed to the Labour led GMCA by Greater Manchester Mayor and ex-Labour MP Andy Burnham.

Regarding the allegations of several parties being held at Downing Street whilst the country was under Coronavirus restrictions, Mr Lord said that he believed the public had already lost faith in the Prime Minister.

In the next local elections in May, Mr Lord said he believes a lot of voters will stop voting Conservative – and if they do, then if he has not already, Mr Johnson will have to resign.

He said: “I think the public have just had enough now.

“During the time the parties were going on, my mum lived by herself, I had to go and do her shopping and drop it to the bottom of her steps at her house while she waved at me through a window. I am not having that, no one is above the law.”

He also stated that Dame Cressida Dick, head of the Metropolitan Police, has “big faults” in the so-called “partygate” scandal, and that she and Mr Johnson are “implicit in this together”.

However, he also said that it was unfair to paint all civil servants with the same “Boris Brush”, and that he could understand people having a drink at their desk at the end of the day, but that the allegations of 16 parties in Downing Street was “too much”.