Listen: Minister struggles to defend Donelan’s libel costs

As the dust begins to settle on Jeremy Hunt’s Budget plans, there’s one Tory MP who won’t be quite as keen to see the papers move on. Science Secretary Michelle Donelan is coming under increasing scrutiny after it emerged that not only had she got her facts wrong and lost a libel case — she’s making the taxpayer pick up the tab.

While Penny Mordaunt rode to Donelan’s defence in the Commons yesterday, Gareth Davies MP struggled to sell the government line. The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury stumbled his way through an interview with LBC’s Nick Ferrari this morning, apparently deciding that the best way to answer his questions would be to, er, not answer at all. 

‘Why should my listeners and the good people of Grantham and Stamford and others have to pay £15,000 because one of your senior colleagues misinterpreted a tweet?’ thundered Ferrari.

‘[Michelle Donelan] has clarified the situation.