Kate Garraway was forced into an apology on the latest edition on Good Morning Britain after a guest hit back at her 'disingenuous' claim. The presenter was back at the helm of the ITV news programme on Friday (October 7) alongside co-host Ben Shephard.
The pair were joined on the latest edition of the show by Minister of State for Climate, Graham Stuart MP, who scolded Kate during discussions on potential energy blackouts this winter. Th e National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) warned on Thursday, in what it called an “unlikely” scenario, that households and businesses might face planned three-hour outages to ensure that the grid does not collapse.
Planned blackouts last hit the UK during the 1970s in response to the miners strikes and the oil crisis. But the lights will stay on this winter unless the gas-fired power plants that produced 43 percent of Britain’s electricity over the last year cannot get enough gas to continue operating.
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Kickstarting the conversation with the climate secretary, Kate, 55, said: "It feels to many as though the Prime Minster, Liz Truss, has slightly changed her position. During the hustings [she] absolutely, unequivocally ruled out any need for blackouts, yesterday, didn't rule it out."
She then asked: "So do you know what is likely? Because people are very worried." Mr Stuart replied: "The important thing is to look at the National Grid advice which they produced yesterday. They do this for every single winter. And what they've said is that we have a strong and diverse energy supply, that we are, relative to our neighbours, in a pretty good position, but that the risks are higher this year in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine than they have been in previous years.
"And therefore, we as a responsible government and working with National Grid and Ofgem and others, look at al possible scenarios." He added: "The important thing I would suggest to get over to your viewers is they have said it's very unlikely."
But Kate replied: "I mean, I think that's a little bit disingenuous, if I may say. Not the 'very unlikely' bit, but the National Grid does definitely give, every winter, advice on energy savings, but they don't necessarily warn we might have three-hour blackouts in the way they have this time."
However, Mr Stuart hit back: "Kate, you accuse me of being disingenuous - that's a rather strong word." Kate responded: "It's just your point where you say they do it every winter, that makes it seem like it's made up, whereas actually when you look at it, it's the first time that I've ever seen it in that way."
"They do do it every winter," Mr Stuart snapped, adding: "Well, that's down to you Kate, rather than them. They do, do it every winter and they've said the risks are higher than in previous years but it is still extremely unlikely. Nothing about that is disingenuous and I think it's very important, especially when we are dealing with something of this seriousness that, unless I do make a factual error, that I am doubtless capable of, that you don't accuse me of doing something which I haven't done."
Kate then replied: "Absolutely and I do apologise. I only meant it on that specific point." As Mr Stuart thanked Kate, she went on: "I think what's happened this morning is that people are waking up to something that feels very frightening. I'm old enough - I don't know if you are - but I'm old enough to remember it and I remember it as a four or five-year-old as a rather cosy, lovely time.
"And we've had lots of comments from people this morning saying how they remember it as that, too. But of course, for hundreds of thousands of people, it's very frightening."
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