Martin Daubney clashed with a Labour MP David Pinto-Duschinsky in a heated on-air row after accusing him of suffering from “Farage derangement syndrome”‘.
The furious exchange erupted during a debate over polling suggesting Labour could be vulnerable in seats it once considered safe, as news broke the former Labour minister Andrew Gwynne, member of parliament for Gorton and Denton, is stepping down.
Pointing to recent electoral analysis, Martin said the figures showed a tight three-way split that could see Labour lose ground, arguing there may soon be “no safe seats left”.
Mr Pinto-Duschinsky pushed back, dismissing the projections as misleading and insisting that national polling cannot be accurately applied to individual constituencies.
Martin Daubney said: “Action has been called, and I hate to say it, but the scores on the doors are showing us that it might not even be a safe seat for Labour. Perhaps there aren’t any safe seats left for Labour.
“You can see there, David, the scores on the doors. It’s a very, very fine margin for Labour to hold on to the seat Labour on 29 per cent, Reform UK on almost 27 per cent and the Green Party on 24 per cent. It’s a three-way split that shows it could go anyone’s way.
“And on that Electoral Calculus analysis, it suggests the seat could tip to the Green Party.
“So my point is this: if Andy Burnham is the candidate, there’s no guarantee he will win. The Green Party and Reform UK will be licking their lips to steam in.”
Martin Daubney accused the Labour MP of ‘Farage derangement’
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GB NEWS
Mr Pinto-Duschinsky replied: “Okay, the first thing I should say is that these aren’t actually polls of the seat. These are national polls applied locally.
“And if you applied averages to everything, well, if you applied them to me, I’d be about three inches taller, right?
“The only poll that actually matters is the poll on the day. And I think it’s really striking that in this week of all weeks, Reform has absolutely given up the mantle of change. It can no longer argue that it’s the party of change.
“We now have a straight fight between people who can deliver change and people who simply play-act at it.”
The furious exchange erupted during a debate over polling that suggests Labour could be vulnerable in seats it once considered safe
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GB NEWS
Martin fumed in response: “You’re doing that thing that a lot of Labour MPs seem to do, which is pivoting to make everything about Nigel Farage. It’s almost like a Farage derangement syndrome.
“But we must get back to the point. The polling is disastrous for the Prime Minister. His personal popularity is lower than her Majesty’s and I’m not even making that up. It’s true.
“A lot of people look to Andy Burnham as a more electable, more robust successor.
‘You must be concerned that Andy Burnham is more popular with the British public.”
Mr Pinto-Duschinsky said: “Look, Andy is doing a great job as Mayor of Greater Manchester.
“Keir is doing a really great and important job as Prime Minister, as we’ve seen this week, and Andy himself has said that Keir should carry on doing that job.
“I’m not going to speculate. We are at the very start of a process. Labour hasn’t even begun its selection process yet, so this is speculation upon speculation.
“The real issue here is who is going to be the right representative.
“Which party is going to be the right one to represent the people of Denton?
“Which one is going to fight to cut the cost of living, invest in public services and bring national renewal?
“And there is only one answer to that question, and that is the Labour Party.”