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Watch: Keegan reacts to her hot mic moment

Credit: Sky

It’s been quite a day for the Education Secretary. Morning, noon and night, she has been on the airwaves today, having made what is surely the most famous on-air Keegan rant since Newcastle beat Leeds in April 1996. Appearing on Sophy Ridge’s new Sky show this evening, the garrulous minister had to sit and watch as her ‘hot mic’ interview was played back to her.

A poker-faced Keegan barely betrayed a hint of emotion while watching the clip, before cooly explaining to Ridge that her comments about doing ‘a fucking good job’ were actually a reference to her industrious civil servants. ‘I wasn’t talking about me, I was talking about the department’, she explained. In a subsequent exchange, Keegan was asked about her holiday last week in Spain:

SR: “You went on a holiday in Spain from August 25th to August 31st. Was that a mistake?”

GK: “Well, when I went on holiday – I mean to be honest, for the whole of the summer, obviously I had to sort out industrial action, then I had to do the A-Levels, then I had to do the GCSEs so the first time I could go on holiday was…

SR: “So we should feel sorry for you?”

GK: “Not at all and I don’t expect anyone to feel sorry for me and I’m certainly not getting that vibe from you.

Steerpike
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Steerpike

Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from Westminster and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk or message @MrSteerpike

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