WATCH: Gavin Williamson's cringe-worthy interview ‘terminated’ for failure to answer question

Gavin Williamson's interview was "terminated" mid-sentence in an awkward live encounter today after he failed to give a straight answer to a question.



The Defence Secretary was cut off by Good Morning Britain host Richard Madeley after repeatedly failing to answer for his comments in the wake of the Salisbury poisoning when he told Russia to “shut up and go away”.

Mr Williamson had been on the programme to discuss the deployment of British troops to Malawi to train local soldiers in anti-poaching techniques when the conversation turned to Russia.

Mr Madeley, who had stepped in to help host the show, asked: “You told Russia to shut up and go away. Do you regret that? Do you think that was a bit too informal?”

The Cabinet minister begins to reply: “What I’d like to pay tribute to initially is the health service personnel…”

But he is cut off by the veteran broadcaster: “Sorry can you answer the question? No, no no, Mr Williamson. I asked you a straight question.

Mr Madeley repeated the question, prompting the Defence Secretary to launch into another evasive answer.

But before he could finish, the GMB host cut in again, saying: “Do you regret telling Russia to shut up and go away? Mr Williamson, please answer the question.”

The Richard and Judy favourite added: “Mr Williamson, you are just not answering the question. Mr Williamson, I am not asking the question on my behalf, but on the behalf of our viewers. So on behalf of our viewers, would you please answer the question?

“Do you now regret telling a nation state to shut up and go away? Do you think that was too casual an expression? Can you please answer that question?”

In a cringe-inducing conclusion, the bemused Defence Secretary was eventually told the interview was being “terminated” for his failure to answer for his “Trump-esque language” as a pair of African elephants wandered behind him.

After the feed was cut, an incredulous Mr Madeley said: “What are they like? What are these politicians like? You give them a straight question. It would have been so easy to say ‘No I don’t, I think it was an appropriate expression’, or ‘Yes, perhaps on reflection I should have been a little more formal.’”