Tory chairman Greg Hands was left squirming after being confronted with the multitude of problems facing the country.
Sky News presenter Trevor Phillips told him ordinary people were suffering because of the wave of public sector strikes happening on the Conservatives’ watch.
The pair clashed just weeks before voters in England, Wales and Northern Ireland go to the polls in a crucial set of local elections on May 4.
Phillips said: “You’ve got doctors on strike, nurses on strike, cvil servants balloting, teachers balloting again, rail workers out there walking off the job.”
He added: “Parents can’t be sure that schools are going to be open, commuters can’t be sure that there’s going to be a train that gets them to work, the patients can’t be sure they’re going to get their operation.
“We pay our taxes to make sure that you, the government, keep these basic services going, and frankly I know you want to say it’s somebody else’s fault, but actually that’s what we pay you for and you’re not doing a good job.
“Why should anyone vote for you in a couple of weeks time?”
Hands replied: “I think because the government is delivering on, overall, what the people want us to be delivering on.
“No one is pretending this job is in any way easy.”
The Tory chairman tried to blame Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine for the high rate of inflation, but Phillips told him: “Vladimir Putin didn’t vote in the [strike] ballot.”
Hands then hit back: “I’m blaming Vladimir Putin and the increase in energy prices, which is what has driven inflation in the first place.
“That is why inflation is such a high priority for the government. Halving inflation is one of our five priorities - that is a backdrop for why there are increasing pay demands to keep pace with inflation.”