Eddie Mair's passionate monologue on the daily Downing Street briefing
18 June 2020, 16:58 | Updated: 18 June 2020, 18:05
Eddie Mair's impassioned monologue on the daily Covid-19 press conference
An impassioned monologue from Eddie Mair where he ponders if he should continue to broadcast the daily Covid-19 briefing as Ministers have been "drifting far away" from public health messages.
Every day since Downing Street coronavirus press briefings started they have been broadcast during Eddie Mair's LBC radio show.
But today, Eddie asked his listeners if now was the time to stop.
"From time to time, I've complained about questions not being answered by the politicians," Eddie said, opening his show, "about international comparisons suddenly dropped, about journalists being literally muted.
"And some politicians, Boris Johnson being the worst offender, refusing to allow follow up questions. Then there are the allegations that some medical professionals have been silenced because they don't agree with the Government line."
Eddie said he still did not understand why journalist were allowed to question Dominic Cummings in person, but "not the Prime Minister."
The LBC presenter said in recent days, "things have become worse" with Monday's press event seeing Dominic Raab briefing the media and the nation alone, "no nurses, doctors, scientists or experts of any kind."
"Last night it was the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport," Eddie said, "totally alone."
Eddie said Ministers have been "drifting far away" from public health messages on Covid-19, including one event where Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced how much he was "spending on potholes."
The LBC presenter asked why these things were included in a live press briefing, which is "supposed to be about Covid-19."
He said "increasingly Ministers have been slipping in references to 'levelling up'," which Eddie said is a "Conservative Party policy."
"This is supposed to be a briefing devoid of party politics."
Their message should be for all of us."
Eddie's impassioned monologue ended with a simple plea, "stick to the message on Covid-19, leave the party politics out of this."
Listen to the whole heartfelt speech in the video at the top of the page.
