Kate Garraway clashed with deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner over Sir Keir Starmer’s trip to Wimbledon during a Good Morning Britain interview on Friday.
The presenter called out the MP after she suggested her boss was showing he was “getting on with the job” by attending the tennis championship while the government was in chaos.
Starmer was pictured in the Royal Box on centre court with his wife Victoria just hours after prime minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation as Tory leader.
During Rayner’s interview on the ITV breakfast show, Kate said: “Yesterday he was pictured at Wimbledon having a lovely time, I’m sure that was in the diary for a long time too. Was it wise though for him to be doing that as the government was imploding?”
Rayner replied: “I think it was actually you know because Keir Starmer was in parliament all day yesterday, you saw him on the TV screens, he did many interviews.
“And I think it’s right. I always get criticised for going to the opera – why shouldn’t we celebrate our arts, our sports and our culture in this country? It brings a big economic boost to our country as well.”
She continued: “And Keir Starmer’s showing that actually he’s getting on with the job, he can show his face in public and be proud of it.”
“Getting on with the job, going to Wimbledon?!” Kate said. “Sorry Angela, but that isn’t how people are seeing it, is it?
“It looks like he’s not in there tackling what people are worried about, he’s having fun, that’s the criticism.”
“I disagree with that,” Rayner said. “Because if you look at the interviews yesterday, Keir Starmer spoke to the British public yesterday, he put forward what Labours plans were...”
Starmer has said he will call a vote of no confidence in the government if Johnson is allowed to stay on as PM in a caretaker capacity until October when the Conservative Party has elected a new leader.
“He needs to go completely. None of this nonsense about clinging on for a few months,” he said on Thursday.
“He’s inflicted lies, fraud and chaos in the country. We’re stuck with a government which isn’t functioning in the middle of a cost of living crisis.
“And all of those that have been propping him up should be utterly ashamed of themselves.”
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV.