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A Cabinet minister said “sorry” today for a doctored video of Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer.

Treasury Chief Secretary Rishi Sunak admitted the stunt by Conservative HQ went “a bit too far” and said there were “lessons to be learned”.

His apology on Good Morning Britain was dragged out of him in a combative interview after days of controversy during which Tory chairman James Cleverly refused to concede that the video was faulty.

Mr Sunak, right, tried to pass it all off as a joke. “I would say that video was done in the spirit of jest and humour — but you are right, and perhaps the humour didn’t work, it went a bit too far or it didn’t quite work in that regard and there are some lessons to be learned,” he said.

But pressed to acknowledge that the video’s ending — which purported to show Sir Keir looking tongue-tied — had been “faked” he went further, saying: “I can say I am sorry it went a bit too far. That clearly in hindsight is what happened.

"But I think the point it was trying to make [is] that Labour’s position on Brexit is not one that is clear.”

Mr Sunak said “it was a video that was put together from bits of footage”, but added “the footage is not fake”.

He said: “I am still unclear whether Labour is for or against staying in the European Union.”

The Tory version of the interview with Sir Keir gave an ending that suggested that he had gone silent.