Labour shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry accused Sky News presenter Dermot Murnaghan of sexism after he asked her to name the French foreign minister.
He is also asked to name the president of South Korea, or even to say what gender they were.
Thornberry responded by asking whether Tory ministers David Davis, Boris Johnson and Liam Fox were given these sort of “pub quiz” style questions and said : “…sometimes when it comes to sexism some Sky presenters need to look at themselves too.”
She finally concluded the interview by saying: “Let’s take this off air because I’ve got a lot to say to you and I don’t think a lot of it ought to be broadcast.”
Here is an edited transcript of the interview:
DM: “Have you called the French foreign minister?”
ET: “No but we are in the process of arranging a meeting for me to go to France and to go to Germany.”
DM: “Do you know who he is?”
ET: “Don’t start pub quizzing me Dermot.”
DM: “He’s the French foreign minister do you know his name?”
ET: “No. and I’m, not going to start answering your questions on this.”
DM: “Oh here we go again…
ET: “Do you know what really upsets me about your attitude to me is that you do this with me, I don’t remember you doing this with anybody else… have you done it with David Davis? Do Sky journalists have a go at Boris Johnson on this basis? How about Liam Fox?
“Can we talk about some serious stuff? Let’s talk Syria, how about talking about North Korea? You really want to spend this time pub quizzing me?”
DM: “I won’t then, let’s talk about North Korea.”
ET: “It’s Sunday morning, honestly..”
DM: “Well the fact you don’t know the French foreign minister’s name is a little…What about the South Korean president if you want to talk about North Korea.
“Do you know the name of the South Korean president who’s been talking about nuking Pyonyang..
ET: “If you want me to go with you to a pub tonight and we can do a pub quiz tonight.”
DM: “I’m not the shadow foreign secretary.
“Do you know what gender the South Korean president is?”
ET: “I’m not getting drawn by you into this nonsense.
DM: “Just for future reference: Park Geun-hye, it is a she.”
Later in the interview talking about sexism:
“There is always more to be done, and do you know what – there is certainly a lot more to be done by the Tories and I certainly think sometimes when it comes to sexism some Sky presenters need to look at themselves too.
“I really do. It really upsets me that every time I come on here you do another pub quiz with me. Because you do not do it with anybody else. I do think its patronising.”
DM: “It’s not, because you are the shadow foreign secretary.”
ET: “Yeah right.”
DM: “And this was about the French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault who Boris Johnson has met now several times.”
ET: “Let’s take this off air because I’ve got a lot to say to you and I don’t think a lot of it ought to be broadcast.”
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