- Osborne branded a 'coward' for sending Coalition's youngest minister Chloe Smith to explain his decision to stop the 3p fuel duty rise
- Miss Smith coughed and spluttered as she failed to say where exactly the £550 million to pay for the cut would come from
- 'Do you wake up and wonder: My God, what am I going to be told today?' Paxman asked her
- Source close to Miss Smith tells MailOnline today: 'She is fine and is getting on with her job.'
- 'The U-turn wasn't even discussed at cabinet hours before the announcement'
- She was appointed by David Cameron because he mistakenly believed she was an accountant
By Martin Robinson
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Tough going: Minister Chloe Smith was 'sacrificed' by George Osborne by being sent on Newsnight to explain another of his Budget U-turns, it was claimed today
George Osborne has been branded a 'coward' after a young minister was torn apart by Jeremy Paxman on live TV when she was sent to defend another of the Chancellor's Budget U-turns.
Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Chloe Smith, 30, even suffered a short fit of coughing and spluttering as she floundered on BBC's Newsnight while explaining why August's 3p fuel duty rise was scrapped yesterday.
In an uncomfortable interview where the nation's youngest minister was forced to grab some water, Jeremy Paxman asked her: 'Do you ever think you are incompetent?' after she was unable to explain exactly where the £550 million needed to pay for the tax cut would come from.
It came as it was revealed that the decision was not even discussed by the Cabinet just hours before the decision was made by George Osborne and David Cameron yesterday afternoon.
Since March Mr Osborne had already staged four major Budget U-turns, on pasties, caravans, charities and church works.
Mid-Bedfordshire MP Nadine Dorries - a vocal critic of the Tory leadership - said in a series of messages on Twitter: 'If Osborne sent Chloe on re scrapping 3p he is a coward as well as arrogant.
'Newsnight last night would have been a tough gig for a minister with years of experience - Chloe is a good egg and didn't deserve that.
'The request for Newsnight should have been refused or given a pre-recorded interview. Paxman was doing his job, Osborne wasn't.'
Labour MP Huw Irranca-Davies also added to the criticism on Twitter: 'Can it be true that Chloe Smith was sacrificed on Newsnight because Osborne was wining and dining Tory MPs in No 11? If true, despicable.'
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO
Cough: Smith began to splutter during an interview where she was asked if she was 'incompetent' by Jeremy Paxman
Hard: The Minister grabs some water while Paxman continues to grill her on the fuel tax freeze
Last night John Prescott, the former deputy prime minister, also tweeted: 'When we faced hard times every Cabinet minister would go on TV to defend policy. Osborne sent a very junior minister. Coward.'
Mr Paxman grilled Smith on when she was told about the decision and where the £550 million needed to cover the freeze would come from.
THE NORFOLK ICE-MAIDEN MP
Chloe Smith was born in Ashford, Kent in 1982 but grew up in Norfolk.
Went to York University and studied English Literature, where she allegedly had little to no interest in politics but rather ‘drinking and dancing’
When she was elected MP for Norwich North in a by-election in July 2009, after Labour MP Ian Gibson resigned over the expenses scandal, she was the youngest MP in Parliament.
Her cool professional approach to her career earned her the nickname 'The Ice-maiden'.
She became the Economic Secretary to the Treasury in October 2011 in the re-shuffle which occurred after Liam Fox resigned, becoming the youngest Minister in Government.
When David Cameron offered her the job he allegedly did so under the false pretense that she was a chartered accountant.
She had previously worked with professional service giant Deloitte but as a management consultant.
She revealed in an interview with magazine Total Politics earlier this year that as well as painting real life nude models to help her unwind from Westminster life she has posed as a nude model herself.
Although she said she is attracted to ‘folds of flesh’ rather than ‘rippling muscles’, her ideal nude model would be Rafael Nadal.
The Economics Secretary gave a raunchy rendition of the suitable Money Money Money, by Abba at a Commons karaoke party last November.
She said that she would not go into detail about the timescales of the decision, and that the costs would be covered by department underspends - but would not say which ones.
'It is not possible to give you a full breakdown at this point because the figure is evolving somewhat,' she said.
And when asked why Transport Secretary Justine Greening did not know about the freeze, despite being in charge of motoring policy in Britain, Smith began to cough and splutter.
She was then attacked by Paxman when she said that slashing the deficit was still the Coalition's number one priority despite bringing in this tax cut.
The Newsnight presenter replied: 'Is this some sort of joke? How can you possibly have as a number one priority cutting the deficit when you choose to spend an underspend in funding a tax cut, or failure to implement a tax rise which was scheduled?'
She replied: 'The plan overall has not changed. The plan, overall, remains those departmental budgets as they were laid out. We are looking to use the underspends, however, in a way that is really valued by households and businesses, and I think anyone listening tonight who drives a car does know that.'
She was also asked if she ever 'woke up' and wondered: 'My God, what am I going to be told today?'
She replied: 'I wake up in the morning and know, actually, that some of my constituents will really value not having to pay that little bit more on fuel prices come August because the cost of living is pretty tight at the moment and everybody does know that.'
A source close to Miss Smith told MailOnline today: 'She is fine and is getting on with the job.
'Fuel duty is her policy area and she wanted to go on Newsnight to give the good news for families and businesses.'
Mr Cameron's spokesman was asked at a daily media briefing in Westminster this morning whether the PM still had confidence in Ms Smith.
The spokesman replied: 'Yes.'
Team: Miss Smith, right, was appointed as one of Mr Osborne's junior ministers last October
Asked when she and other ministers were informed of the plan to delay the 3p rise, the spokesman said: 'It was announced to Parliament yesterday. That is the usual process.
'The Chancellor of the Exchequer takes decisions on taxation and we announce those decisions to Parliament.
'The thing that most people think is important is the fact that we have taken this decision and as a result of action taken by this Government, prices are 10p lower than they would otherwise have been.'
Extraordinary claims circulated around Westminster when Chloe Smith was appointed last October that David Cameron was confused about her credentials.
Interview: Mr Paxman also asked Smith if she woke and wondered 'my God, what am I going to be told today?'
Miss Smith, who became the youngest MP in Parliament when she won the Norwich North by-election in 2009, was promoted to become Economic Secretary to the Treasury in the mini reshuffle that followed Defence Secretary Liam Fox’s resignation.
At the age of 29 years, four months and 27 days, she became the youngest minister in government.
However, according to an account of the phone call giving her the good news, the Prime Minister was under the misapprehension that she had been a chartered accountant and would therefore be well suited to the post.
After Mr Cameron told Miss Smith he would like to offer her the post, she is said to have replied: ‘Well, thank you Prime Minister. . .It would be an honour, but the Treasury…it’s a little daunting…’
The Prime Minister allegedly responded: ‘Not daunting surely for someone who was a chartered accountant?’
The confusion may have arisen because the MP, an English literature graduate, worked for accountancy firm Deloitte before entering politics, but as a consultant not an accountant
The Norwich North MP is then said to have admitted: ‘Er, well, actual ly Prime Minister, I wasn’t an accountant. I was a management consultant in an accountancy firm.’
Mr Cameron apparently then said ‘never mind’ and welcomed Miss Smith aboard.
Last night people from all parties sprang to her defence.
Phillip Blond, Tory political expert said afterwards: 'I am glad that was over it was rather painful - I rather like Chloe Smith - her first time - it's not that easy'.
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Chancellor George Osborne was today branded an ‘arrogant coward’ by a Conservative backbencher after sending a junior Treasury minister into the TV studios to defend his £550 million decision to delay the 3p hike in fuel duty.
Labour said that the Chancellor had ‘hid away’ after making the surprise announcement to the House of Commons that the rise planned for August would be held back at least until January, apparently without warning colleagues.
But Prime Minister David Cameron dismissed the charge, saying it was right for Mr Osborne to announce his decisions on taxation to MPs in Parliament.
Junior Treasury Minister Chloe Smith MP being given a particularly hard time by Jeremy Paxman on BBC2's Newsnight about George Osborne's scrapping of the 3p rise in fuel duty
At Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons, Labour leader Ed Miliband mocked Mr Cameron over the decision, which he branded ‘another case of panic at the pumps’.
Mr Miliband claimed stopping the 3p increase was proof that ‘plan A was not working’ and mockingly asked whether the handling of the announcement was part of a ‘seamless political strategy’.
Eyebrows were raised around Westminster when the Chancellor made his announcement, as it came just a day after the Transport Secretary Justine Greening publicly defended the rise and hours after Labour’s Ed Balls demanded that it be stopped.
It soon became clear that Mr Osborne had not briefed Cabinet earlier in the day.
And junior Treasury minister Chloe Smith fuelled suspicions that it came as a surprise to ministers when she repeatedly declined to say when she first learnt about it in a widely-criticised interview on BBC2’s Newsnight.
‘As a minister in the Treasury I’ve been involved in discussions for some time,’ she told interviewer Jeremy Paxman. ‘The Chancellor and the Prime Minister take those decisions.
‘I’m not going to be able to give you a running commentary on exactly who said what and when.’
MP Nadine Dorries took to Twitter to criticise Mr Osborne for sending a junior minister to defend his actions
She said that the cost of the change would be covered by underspends from Whitehall departments, but declined to say which ones, telling Paxman: ‘It is not possible to give you a full breakdown at this point because the figure is evolving somewhat.’
When Ms Smith confirmed that cutting the deficit remained the Government’s top priority, Paxman responded: ‘Is this some sort of joke? How can you possibly have as a number one priority cutting the deficit when you choose to spend an underspend on funding a tax cut?’
Conservative MP Nadine Dorries - a vocal critic of the Tory leadership - was scathing about Mr Osborne’s decision not to take to the airwaves himself to defend his decision.
In a series of messages on Twitter, Ms Dorries wrote: ‘If Osborne sent Chloe on re scrapping 3p he is a coward as well as arrogant.
‘Newsnight last night would have been a tough gig for a minister with years of experience - Chloe is a good egg and didn’t deserve that.
‘The request for Newsnight should have been refused or given a pre-recorded interview. Paxman was doing his job, Osborne wasn’t.’
Referring to regular backbench grumbles that Mr Osborne does not put himself on the front line to fight the Government’s case in the media, Ms Dorries added: ‘The submarine Chancellor sacrifices another minister whilst he slips under the surface... again.’
Mr Miliband seized on the tweets, telling the Prime Minister it was ‘no wonder’ Ms Dorries had called the Chancellor a coward.
‘The Chancellor hid away yesterday, refusing to defend the decision,’ he said.
‘The Chancellor yesterday sent out the economic secretary to do interviews on this issue.’
But the Prime Minister insisted the coalition was ‘defusing Labour’s tax bombshell’.
He told MPs: ‘The fuel duty increase was a Labour tax rise. It cannot be a U-turn to get rid of a Labour tax increase. They put in place 12 increases on fuel duty in government. They left behind six increases in fuel duty and I’m proud of the fact we are dealing with them.’
At a daily media briefing in Westminster, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said that Ms Smith still enjoyed Mr Cameron’s confidence.
Asked when she and other ministers were informed of the plan to delay the 3p rise, the spokesman said: ‘It was announced to Parliament yesterday. That is the usual process.
‘The Chancellor of the Exchequer takes decisions on taxation and we announce those decisions to Parliament.
‘The thing that most people think is important is the fact that we have taken this decision and as a result of action taken by this Government, prices are 10p lower than they would otherwise have been.’
Asked whether Ms Dorries would be disciplined for her attack on Mr Osborne, a source close to the Prime Minister said: ‘Nadine is Nadine, isn’t she? What can you do?’
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The imbeciles commenting here bringing her gender into it, how is that even relevant? This country is being run by men and look at what a mess we're in! I guess I shouldn't be surprised that DM readers only bully incompetent women and turn a blind eye to the MANY incompetent men in powerful positions. Pathetic.
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I was reading elsewhere that Osborne hid and left this junior to take all the flack. What a coward.
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Watch Paxman when there's a discussion on anything to do with economics. He looks bemused and befuddled. I've really gone of him the last few years he seems to believe his own hype and rudely interrupts even when someone is answering the question.
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So studying English literature is good grounding for a treasury minister then!
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His line of questioning was so intimidating I felt sorry for her. Paxman was out to get her and one felt he has an underlying hatred for the Tories. For me this was not entertainment and his line of questioning aka bullying was way over the top. Watching this even I felt I'd like to get over there and smack him one. Wonder how many viewers were turned off by this?
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I remember Paxman on London regional news in the 80's. He was an arrogant bully then, so nothing has changed.
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Paxman's a twit (an overpaid, sperannuated twit at that). If a person thinks they've won the lottery then finds out that they got one number wrong, they haven't LOST the money, they just never had it in the first place. Miss Smith should have been quicker on her feet. Or she could have answered that they were going to find the extra money by doing away with the publicly-funded BBC and thus saving shed loads of money by not paying for overpaid, superannuated twits.
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We need more people like Paxman. We need fewer Chloe Smiths.
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She fit though init.
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He just wants the truth told. She's 30, not 13 yrs old. If she couldn't handle someone like him at her age she is clearly better suited working at a super market checkout. Grow some balls!
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