Rylan And Edwina Currie Clash Over Partygate: 'I Did Not Have This On My Bingo Card'

The presenter received praise on social media for his response to the former Tory MP, who defended the PM's law breaking saying it was "done now".
Rylan and Edwina Currie
Rylan and Edwina Currie
Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock

Rylan Clark and Edwina Currie have clashed on Twitter after it was revealed Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak were fined for attending a party that broke Covid rules.

On Tuesday, the prime minister and the chancellor were found to have broken the law with a birthday gathering for the PM in the Cabinet room in June 2020.

After it was revealed they had been served with fixed penalty notices from the Metropolitan Police, who are currently investigating the partygate scandal, Rylan reacted to the news on social media, like many others.

“He’s officially broke the law. That’s it ain’t it?” the TV presenter tweeted.

He’s officially broke the law . That’s it ain’t it?

— R Y L A N (@Rylan) April 12, 2022

This sparked an unexpected response from former Tory MP Edwina Currie, who told Rylan to “get real”.

“No, it isn’t. Shouldn’t have happened, but it’s done now. In case you hadn’t noticed, this all happened two years ago,” she tweeted.

Referencing the war in Ukraine – which has been cited by many other serving ministers as a reason why Johnson should not resign over the scandal – she added: “Putin is laughing at us. Get real.”

No, it isn’t.
Shouldn’t have happened, but it’s done now.
In case you hadn’t noticed, this all happened two years ago.
Putin is laughing at us.
Get real. https://t.co/pDZZ6xU1a2

— Edwina Currie (@Edwina_Currie) April 13, 2022

Rylan admitted he was not expecting a response from the former I’m A Celebrity contestant, who resigned from government in 1988 over the salmonella-in-eggs controversy, joking: “I did not have @Edwina_Currie on my bingo card for this morning.”

He continued: “Edwina, there’s a war, we’re living with Covid, there’s a lot going on publicly and personally. I’m aware when it was. Believe me I don’t need to “get real” it’s a statement. Not an opinion. You stay well, as will I.”

I did not have @Edwina_Currie on my bingo card for this morning. Edwina, there’s a war, we’re living with Covid, there’s a lot going on publicly and personally. I’m aware when it was. Believe me I don’t need to “get real” it’s a statement. Not an opinion. You stay well, as will I https://t.co/giMDSVi0Z6

— R Y L A N (@Rylan) April 13, 2022

Rylan – who has regularly shared his take on politics on social media and also hosted Channel 4′s coverage of the last general election – said in a separate tweet: “Just a little reminder. Regardless of your upbringing, education, wealth or status, EVERYONE is entitled to talk about Politics as UK citizens.”

The Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two host received much praise from social media users for his comments.

Rylan, the voice of the people. You tell her!

— Diana (@Nevererdofher) April 13, 2022

Well said Rylan! So many Tories think we should believe in their reality than the one we see with our own eyes.

— Sian Brown (@SianBro79031269) April 13, 2022

The reason Rylan’s tweet is doing numbers Edwina, is that it’s succinct, true and sums up how so many of us are feeling. The reason yours isn’t doing numbers is that we’ve had enough of being patronised and told to move on by your ilk. The audacity.

— Helen (@helen__tweets) April 13, 2022

Well done Rylan 👍

— Suzysuzy (@whoareyou_64) April 13, 2022

Keep on keeping on Rylan, you're clearly rattling the right cages!

— Naomi Goff❄🇪🇺 😷 🌎 (@TheGoffster) April 13, 2022

Well said Rylan! 👏👏👏👏

— Caro💙 (@carohendy43) April 13, 2022

How is the "Putin is laughing at us" comment relevant?! Omg @Rylan I want to scream with you at the idiocy 🤯🙄😳😲 Also Rylan, your reply was a lot more dignified than mine would have been!!!

— Elizabeth McIntyre (@LilMacca81) April 13, 2022

Rylan has previously hit back at “snobby-arsed” critics of his political commentary explaining why he feels “no pressure to fit in a box others want to put (him) in” and why people have been wrong to dismiss him.

Speaking to The Big Issue, he said: “I decided to call them out on it thinking actually, you’re a fucking idiot, because I was a 30-year-old man who’s not in politics and I’m the sort of person you should be tapping into.

“With all due respect, the audience that I’ve got might not necessarily understand Brexit or what’s going on in parliament.”

He continued: “When I explain stuff on Twitter in layman’s terms people message me and go ‘Thanks for doing that, I didn’t really understand what WTO meant or what the Northern Irish backstop involved’.

“You can take the piss out of me all you want, but I’m probably informing the people who follow me more than you’re informing people.”

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