Business Minister interrupts radio interview to compliment journalist’s LIPSTICK colour

Business Minister Claire Perry dramatically switched subjects during a live interview about Brexit, telling BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Emma Barnett she liked her lipstick.

‘Nice lipstick, matches your microphone perfectly,’ she said.

Ms Perry revealed she hadn’t seen a Brexit information pack which is being sent out to businesses on Friday leading her to force a change to the subject.

Ms Barnett asked Ms Perry: ‘Government departments have been given money by the Chancellor to make preparations. £4bn over three years. This financial year, government departments have been allocated £1.5bn for Brexit preparations. So may I start by asking, how much has been allocated to your department?’

But Ms Perry struggled for an answer and responded: ‘Gosh, do you know, I actually don’t know the amount. But I can tell you we’ve hired several hundred people over the course of the last year, erm.’

She went on to say she would have to ‘look it up’, but that it was ‘millions.’

Brexit turns lipstick as Business Minister Claire Perry prefers to talk make-up instead

Ms Perry said she had not seen it, but pledged: ‘I’ll tell you what Emma, I shall go back to the department, I shall find you a draft copy and I shall get it hand delivered over to you, how about that? But I haven’t seen it.’ 

She added: ‘I haven’t seen it – and by the way, nice lipstick, matches your microphone perfectly – I haven’t seen it, it will be as detailed as we think businesses need. We talk to businesses constantly, personally, in groups, we’re fully aware of the concerns.’

Former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell, who was listening to the show, said: ‘If you were to send that interview to Armando Iannucci, he could run it as a scene from The Thick of It, without changing a word.’

Presenter Emma Barnett looks bemused that the topic is about her instead of Brexit

But she looked unphased as she kept the pressure on the Business Minister