Watch Labour minister brutally torn apart by LBC’s Nick Ferrari in car-crash interview.uk
Treasury minister struggled to answer questions in excruciating LBC interview
A Labour minister was unable to answer basic questions about a new River Thames crossing in a car-crash LBC interview this morning. Emma Reynolds could not give details of the exact location or the total cost of the Lower Thames Crossing in the grilling with presenter Nick Ferrari.
The infrastructure project, which aims to reduce congestion at the Dartford Crossing, will link Essex and Kent and is set to receive a further £590 million of public money. The Treasury minister also mistakenly referred to the existing crossing as the “Dartmouth tunnel”, apparently confusing the Devon town with Dartford.
LBC presenter Nick Ferrari (Image: LBC)
She told LBC Radio: “I meant Dartford, excuse me, I had a very early morning.”
Asked where the new crossing would start and end, Ms Reynolds said: “You’ll forgive me, I can’t recall the landing zone.”
The crossing will involve two tunnels under the Thames to the east of Tilbury in Essex and Gravesend in Kent.
Repeatedly pressed on the cost, she said it would be “quite a lot of money” before suggesting it would be “several billion pounds”.
LBC Radio presenter Nick Ferrari asked: “Is there much point continuing this conversation because you don’t know where a bridge starts, where it ends and you don’t know how much it costs?”
National Highways has estimated the cost will be between £9.2 billion and £10.2 billion depending on the funding model chosen.
Ms Reynolds leafed through paperwork and at one point resorted to reading out text about how the crossing will link the north with the south.
Ferrari said: “It’s almost as if you were reading from a piece of paper there, isn’t it?”
Following the toe-curling LBC interview, Downing Street said the Prime Minister had “full confidence” in Ms Reynolds.
The funding for the Lower Thames Crossing will be part of the Government’s 10-year plan for infrastructure.
A new structures fund will also invest in repairing bridges, flyovers, tunnels and other transport infrastructure such as roads.
