Afriyie fails the interview test

The Adam Afriyie leadership speculation has now got to the point where he’s been interviewed by Andrew Neil on the Sunday Politics. His first big broadcast interview as a potential leadership candidate was always going to be a big test for Afriyie and he failed to impress today.

Afriyie, who looked like he’d been heavily coached for the encounter, failed to properly answer the questions put to him or to make a case for any alternative vision. He was even unprepared to say whether or not he supported means-testing pensioner benefits.

On the whole question of his own ambitions, Afriyie was hugely unconvincing. Moments after declaring ‘I have no ambition to lead my party’ he referred to ‘my team around me’. Those Cameron loyalists who were watching this interview will, I suspect, particularly enjoy their Sunday lunch today.