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'Insulting intelligence of British people!' Reform and Labour erupt in furious BBC QT row
Reach Daily Express | June 13, 2025 8:39 AM CST

A furious row erupted between and the on Fiona Bruce's BBC Question Time this evening. Labour's Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones and Reform's UK Department of Government Efficiency Zia Yusuf butted heads when Mr Yusuf accused Labour and the Tories as "being the same", to which Mr Jones responded saying: "I find it personally offensive."

The Labour MP fumed: "I just want to tackle this issue about Labour being the same as the Tories as I find it personally offensive. We've increased the national minimum wage, we're building a new generation of council houses, we've extended free school meals to every kid in school that's on universal credit, we're paying our doctors and nurses our salaries they've been looking for for years" The audience erupted in response to this point, as people shouted "rubbish".

Mr Jones continued: "We've increased spending on doctors for the last two years when the Tories wouldn't even talk to doctors and nurses which is why they're on strike.

"The thing that is the same is when Reform and the Conservatives give you the simple answers to complex promises, but do not tell you how they're going to do it. Those are the questions you should be answering."

Reform's Mr Yusuf responded: "I'll tell you what's offensive, it's insulting the intelligence of the British people."

However, the Labour minister quickly hit back and said, while furiously pointing: "I didn't, I insulted your intelligence. Answer the question!"

Mr Yusuf replied: "You're entitled to insult my intelligence, you're not entitled to insult the intelligence of British people."

Mr Jones then pushed him further: "How, how? Answer the question!"

"How, how?" The Labour MP repeated multiple times, while Mr Yusuf spoke. "There's no answer to the question."

Mr Yusuf continued to make his point: "Earlier you described an obvious tax hike in the form of council tax increases of 5%. You've described it, and I'm quoting, 'a tax change'."

Reform's head of Doge UK added: "The British people are sick and tired of being gaslit, and the Prime Minister of this country does it, you can see it on his social media account all of the time, you are unwilling to be honest with the British people."

Mr Jones switches from saying "how" to: "It's not true, it's not true," numerous times.

Mr Yusuf then fumes: "You consistently prioritise foreign citizens over citizens of this country," which received a large round of applause from the audience in Fleetwood.

The Labour minister was steadfast in retrieving an answer to his initial question: "You did not answer the question on how you would do anything you've promised."

Fiona Bruce interjected before the row continued any further, asking the pair to "hold fire".


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