BBC Question Time audience howl with laughter at ‘Common Sense Minister’ McVey

01 December 2023 , 08:31

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BBC Question Time audience howl with laughter at ‘Common Sense Minister’ McVey

Esther McVey's unofficial role as "Minister for Common Sense" role in Rishi Sunak's Cabinet prompted howls of laughter from the BBC Question Time audience.

The bruising encounter came as the senior Tory faced a series of hostile questions over the government's failure to deliver on its promise to level up the country. Officially appointed a Cabinet Office minister last month, the ex-GB News host was also dubbed the "minister of common sense" to combat "woke" issues.

But appearing on BBC Question Time, Ms McVey was asked: "I just wonder if it tells us something the Tory Party needs a minister for common sense?" As some members of the audience laughed at the question, the Cabinet Minister said it "seems in the media I was dubbed as Minister of Common Sense". But you'll actually know what my role is... it's Minister in the Cabinet Office. It's known as without portfolio, which means you work across portfolios, so it is about scrutiny, oversight and making sure there is delivery for money".

Pressed on whether the "Minister of Common Sense" description was inaccurate, Ms McVey then swerved the question and listed alleged examples of "common sense". They included Mr Sunak's controversial decision to scrap the northern leg of the HS2 rail project and delaying the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars.

Prompting laughter and applause from the audience on Thursday evening the BBC Question Time presenter Fiona Bruce then asked: "Just to be clear - now you are Minister for Common Sense, is that suggesting the ministers already doing their job in the various jobs in Cabinet, they don't have enough common sense? So you've got to come in and display more common sense? Literally how does it work?" Ms McVey was forced to say: "Yes they do have common sense, absolutely."

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The comedian Zoe Lyons, who also appeared on the panel, intervened, saying: "I can understand how being presented with a minister of common sense is quite irksome." She added: "All I can imagine in my head is that your office is next to the minister for funny walks. It's on that sort of level".

Last month the Prime Minister's official spokesman insisted that the "Minister for Common Sense" title was not "her public role". Tory Party chairman Richard Holden also said Ms McVey was brought in to "represent a part of that broad panoply of opinion that the Conservative Party represent".

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Ashley Cowburn