James Cleverly has repeatedly refused to deny calling the government’s Rwanda policy “batshit”.
The home secretary was accused of using the word by Labour’s Yvette Cooper in the House of Commons yesterday.
It came after the Supreme Court ruled that the policy of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda was unlawful.
Cooper said: “I don’t believe the new home secretary ever believed in the Rwanda plan. He distanced himself from it, and his predecessor’s language on it - he may even, on occasion, privately called it batshit.”
Asked on three separate broadcast interviews this morning whether he had used that phrase about the policy of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda, Cleverly refused to do so.
The first occasion was on Sky News, when he told presenter Kay Burley he “doesn’t recognise” the claim.
Appearing on BBC Breakfast afterwards, Cleverly was asked directly by Charlie Stayt if he had said it.
The presenter said: “Yesterday in the Commons you were accused of describing the Rwanda system as batshit. Is that true, did you say those words?”
Cleverly replied: “That was a claim made of me, not something that I said.”
Asked a second time, the minister replied: “It’s good for parliamentary theatre.”
Stayt then said: “Very happy to give you the time to answer the question I’ve just asked you - did you say that word?”
Cleverly said: “I certainly don’t remember saying anything like that.”
On Radio Four’s Today programme, the home secretary was asked again by Amol Rajan if he had said it.
After initially trying to dodge the question, Cleverly eventually said: “I don’t remember a conversation like that.”
HuffPost UK understands that a Labour MP claims they heard Cleverly use the phrase during a private conversation before a TV appearance.