03 March 2024 , 10:54
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Jeremy Hunt clashed with a Sky News host after he asked him to explain examples of "very intimidatory protests" he said he'd seen recently.
Presenter Trevor Phillips pressed the Chancellor about Rishi Sunak's speech on extremism on Friday in which he said "our streets have been hijacked by small groups who are hostile to our values and have no respect for our democratic traditions”. In a tense exchange, Mr Hunt refused to go into details on specific groups the PM was talking about and hit out at Mr Phillips for "not listening".
Asked if he could name a group that isn't already banned that needs to be so because of their actions on pro-Palestine marches, Mr Hunt said: "I'm not going to go into those details. That's a matter for the Home Secretary.
Jeremy Hunt clashed with Trevor Phillips on Sky News"What I can tell you is that the vast majority of British Muslims want to protest peacefully and within the law, and they have every right to do so. But we have seen examples of very intimidatory protests that have made other people feel unsafe. That is not the British way."
Mr Phillips replied: "Forgive me Chancellor, this is a very important point. Part of the British way is to be straight. When you say we've seen these protests and these people, which people are we talking about? Who are you talking about?"
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Mr Hunt then said he was "talking about the scenes I've seen on television" and about the emails that he's received from Jewish people "who are absolutely terrified to go out of their houses, because of some of the behaviour of a small minority". Pressed to name groups he'd seen on TV, the Cabinet Minister said: "I don't know the names of people I see on television...
"What I'm also saying is the vast majority of people at these protests want to do so peacefully and within the law, and we absolutely respect their right to do so. But when lines are being crossed, we need to call it out and we need to be active in calling out extremism for what it is."
But Mr Phillips did not give in and asked again what groups he was referring to, adding: "When you heard the Prime Minister speak of these anonymous forces, or groups or organisations, it leaves people assuming that you must mean either anyone who's been on one of these marches, or anyone who happens to profess the Muslim faith."
A frustrated Mr Hunt said: “With the greatest respect and I really enjoy being interviewed with you but it does feel to me like you actually weren't listening to what I just said.
"Because what I just said was that the vast majority of people are protesting peacefully. I did not say these people who aren't doing that are anonymous. I said, I just happened to not know their names because I look at someone on television and I don't know their name. So I think I've answered your question with the greatest respect."
Mr Hunt was also grilled on his plans for his Budget on Wednesday. He told Sky News' Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips programme: "It is going to be a prudent and responsible budget for long-term growth.
"When it comes to tax cuts, I do believe that if you look around the world, countries with lower tax tend to grow faster - North America, Asia - and so I do think in the long run we need to move back to being a lower taxed, more lightly regulated economy.
"It would be deeply unconservative to cut taxes in a way that increased borrowing, wasn't fully funded. If I think of the great tax-cutting budgets of the past, Nigel Lawson's budget in 1988 - the reason that was so significant is because those tax cuts were permanent. People need to know that these are tax cuts you can really afford, so it will be responsible and everything I do will be affordable."