Chris Bryant blunders (again)

Oh dear. It seems that the Scarlet Pimpernel of politics is at it again. Chris Bryant likes to portray himself as the sleazebuster-in-chief, fearlessly standing up for standards in public life. But in his haste to hold his fellow politicos to account, it seems that Bryant has blundered in his eagerness for retweets. Steerpike’s colleague Kate Andrews appeared on Question Time last night, prompting Bryant to fire off a post complaining that the BBC hadn’t accompanied her appearance with a mention that she ‘is part of the Institute for Economic Affairs, which is notoriously secretive about their funding’.

But as others were quick to point out, the BBC did refer to Andrews’s former employment at the IEA, even though she left the thinktank almost three years ago. More bizarre was Bryant’s insistence that she continues to work there – despite now sitting next to Mr S every day at 22 Old Queen Street.