Tory MP Nick Boles was not too happy about being quizzed about his role in the Conservative Party’s leadership election on the BBC’s Daily Politics programme on Tuesday - and threatened to walk off the set.
The former skills minister was the campaign manager for Michael Gove’s surprise, and unsuccessful, bid for the leadership following David Cameron’s resignation.
Boles did not like BBC presenter Jo Coburn’s attempt to get him to talk about the political intrigue and backstabbing that consumed the Tory party in the wake of the Brexit vote.
“I’m sorry Jo, I am not going to go into all those details, it’s not the basis you asked me to come on to the show and I am not willing to discuss it any further,” he said.
“You asked me to talk about Brexit. I am very happy to discuss that. I am not happy to disinter the leadership election which his long past.”
Coburn pressed further, leading Boles to tell her: “If you want me to stay on the programme we are going to have to move on.”
Gove’s decision to try and seize the leadership of the Tory party caught Westminster by surprise - given he had been Boris Johnson’s leadership campaign manager up until the point he announced.
Boles famously had to apologise after he sent text messages to Tory MP asking them to vote tactically in the leadership election to stop “seriously frightening” Andrea Leadsom from making it into the final two.