Rylan Clark has launched an impassioned takedown of the Tory party amid their in-fighting over the leadership race, telling them: âStop being a fucking arsehole.â
During an appearance on Channel 4âČs The Last Leg on Friday night, the presenter dismissed culture secretary Nadine Dorriesâ recent comments about the wardrobes of leadership hopefuls Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, and told MPs to focus on ârunning the country rightâ.
Asked for his thoughts on the increasingly toxic race to become the next prime minister, Rylan said: âIâve got to be careful what I say, but every time I see Liz Truss, I hear âpork markets!â and it puts me off,â he said referring to an infamous viral clip of the the then-environment secretary giving a speech in 2014. âAnd Rishi... itâs just getting a bit tit for tat now.â
He continued: âNo one really wants a general election, but itâs going to have to get to that point because itâs about time now that the real people in this country make decisions about whoâs running it, to be perfectly honest.â
Fellow guest, Labor MP Jess Phillips, remarked: âRylan for prime minister!â
Rylan then called âbullshitâ on Dorriesâ claim that Truss would be campaigning while wearing âearrings which cost circa ÂŁ4.50 from Claireâs Accessoriesâ, which had been a direct attack from the culture secretary on Sunakâs expensive wardrobe.
Rylan said: âOne, who has been in Claireâs Accessories since they were 12, for a start? And second of all, I donât care if youâre wearing a 200 grand suit, as long as youâre running the country right, I donât care whatâs on your feet and whatâs on your back at the end of the day. Primark or Prada, I donât care.
âI donât think it really matters, and Iâm not gonna start any beef with Nadine Dorries at all â I tweeted something about Edwina Currie and that was an exciting morning, let me tell you...â
He continued: âI donât think it matters Jess, does it? I donât care what youâre wearing, just run the country right, look after people in this country and stop being a fucking arsehole.â
As the audience applauded, host Adam Hills joked: âSo glad youâre being careful about what you say.â
Rylan has regularly shared his take on politics on social media and also hosted Channel 4âČs coverage of the last general election.
He has previously hit back at âsnobby-arsedâ critics of his political commentary explaining why he feels âno pressure to fit in a box others want to put (him) inâ and why people have been wrong to dismiss him.
Speaking to The Big Issue, he said: âI decided to call them out on it thinking actually, youâre a fucking idiot, because I was a 30-year-old man whoâs not in politics and Iâm the sort of person you should be tapping into.
âWith all due respect, the audience that Iâve got might not necessarily understand Brexit or whatâs going on in parliament.â
He continued: âWhen I explain stuff on Twitter in laymanâs terms people message me and go âThanks for doing that, I didnât really understand what WTO meant or what the Northern Irish backstop involvedâ.
âYou can take the piss out of me all you want, but Iâm probably informing the people who follow me more than youâre informing people.â