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Labour's Barry Gardiner was today forced to admit he says different things in private and in public.

In an excruciating interview Labour's shadow international trade secretary was forced to listen to a recording of himself at a private event rubbishing his party's policy.

It caused controversy at the time because he was directly contradicting Labour Party policy.

And other cabinet colleagues have lost their jobs for making the same error.

(Image: Daily Post Wales)

His former colleague Owen Smith , who was Northern Ireland Secretary, was sacked after penning an article calling for Britain to stay in the Single Market.

Filling in for Andrew Marr, Emma Barnett today asked him if he was "grateful" to Jeremy Corbyn for sparing him the chop despite him contradicting Labour's policy.

Gardiner is recorded ridiculing one of Labour's six tests for a Brexit deal which is that it achieves the "exact same benefits" as the current relationship with the EU.

On the recording he can be heard saying: “It’s b*****ks. Always has been b*****ks” – and goes on to dismiss the whole strategy of the six tests.

“We know very well that we cannot have the exact same benefits. And it would have made sense, because it was the Tories that said they were going to secure the exact same benefits, and our position should have been precisely to say: ‘They have said that they will secure the exact same benefits and we are going to hold them to that standard.’”

Today he said: "Our policy is that we will hold the government to account for the promises they made."

(Image: Getty)

When he was quizzed whether he stood by previous comments that people were playing up the issue of security in Ireland, he failed to commit.

And he appeared to admit he said different things in private to public.

Asked by Emma Barnett: "Which Barry Gardiner is the truth? The one that speaks in private or the one on telly now?"

"Sometimes you have conversations in private and the reaasons they're held in private is because you can advance thinking.

"If all you ever do is say the given line you'd never actually advance because you'd never discuss anything. That's why you hold things in private."