Piers Morgan has praised Theresa May’s negotiating tactic with the European Union, comparing the Prime Minister to a holidaymaker striking a good deal for a Moroccan carpet.
On the BBC Question Time, the TV presenter came to the defence of the Tory Party leader after confirming the UK would quit the single market on Brexit in a speech indicating she was going to play hardball with Brussels.
Her not “half-in, half-out” proposal for hard Brexit came days after incoming US President Donald Trump said he would “absolutely” look to make a swift trade deal with the UK.
With May taking a battering on the flagship politics show, Morgan saw his opportunity to mix these ingredients and add a splash of his own special sauce to create a delicious analogy.
“I was in Marrakesh in Morocco at New Year on holiday. You go into the souks - it’s fantastic, they’ve 1,500 years old. You start trading, start bartering.
“David Cameron is the kind of guy who goes into the first shop and says ‘I love all your carpets. And by the way I’m not leaving until you’ve screwed me over’.
“That’s what he did.
“Theresa May looked at this and went ‘that does not work, does it’. She said to the first guy, ‘I quite like your carpets. But I’ve got a really great offer on carpets from a guy called Donald in America and if you don’t do me a great deal I’m going to walk out of your shop and go to Donald do a deal for his carpets’.
“I think that is a great negotiating tactic.”
Of course, Morgan is friends with Trump, having become friends after winning Celebrity The Apprentice. So Brexit: as simple (or difficult) as buying a Moroccan carpet. Carpets.
Piers liked the taste:
But it was a little rich for other people’s stomachs.
Someone like his appearance.
But not everyone.
BBC Question Time, presented by David Dimbleby, came from Peterborough this week. The other guests were Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, Labour frontbencher Emily Thornberry, Alistair Carmichael of the Lib Dems and author Lionel Shriver.