Well, that was painful.
Treasury minister Emma Reynolds appeared on LBC to promote the government’s shiny new £1bn infrastructure investment — but crumbled under even the most basic questioning from Nick Ferrari.
From forgetting the name of the crossing, to not knowing where it starts or ends, to wildly underestimating the cost by billions… it was a car crash of an interview. And Ferrari wasn’t letting it go.
🚧 Minister forgets where the bridge starts. And ends. And how much it costs
Reynolds was on to promote the government’s 10-year strategy for roads, bridges, and tunnels — including the long-delayed Lower Thames Crossing.
Except… she called it the Dartmouth crossing. Then couldn’t say where it actually lands.
“You’ll forgive me, I can’t recall the exact landing zone,” she said, nervously laughing.
Ferrari wasn’t amused.
“So the crossing you’re talking about, you don’t know where it is?” he asked.
When Reynolds vaguely mentioned it was to avoid the Dartford Crossing, Ferrari cut in:
“It’s almost as if you’re reading from a piece of paper… you don’t know where it takes off or where it lands, do you?”
Eventually, Ferrari had to answer his own question:
“It’s Tilbury to Gravesend. It’s in the press release.”
💸 She also guessed the cost – and was billions off
It got worse.
Asked how much the project would cost, Reynolds guessed:
“Quite a lot of money.”
She said £590 million was being allocated now, and vaguely claimed the total would be “several billion”.
Ferrari corrected her:
“It’s £10 billion. It’s not ‘several’. It’s ten.”
Ouch.
📉 “Is there much point in continuing this conversation?”
Ferrari, clearly exasperated, delivered the killer line:
“Is there much point in continuing this conversation, because you don’t know where a bridge starts, where it ends, and how much it costs?”
Reynolds tried to pivot, saying she was there to talk about the broader strategy.
Ferrari then asked about Hammersmith Bridge — and Reynolds shot back:
“I’m not here to talk about Hammersmith Bridge. I’m not a transport minister.”
Which might be true… but she is the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, promoting a multibillion-pound infrastructure project.
And she came armed with absolutely none of the details.
You can watch it here.
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