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Ian Hislop’s scathing take on that £2.6m briefing room was a Question Time high spot

Oonagh Keating. Updated March 19th, 2021

Question Time seems a bit sterile, at the moment, with its socially distanced studio guests, and audience participation via video links.

This week, Private Eye’s Ian Hislop made it feel a lot more organic, with this crushing takedown of the government’s new briefing room.

“Two point six million for a couple of microphones. I mean, it’s no wonder Test and Trace cost 37 billion.”

He almost united the virtual room, with the audience breaking into applause.

Conservative Victoria Atkins, however, sat tight-lipped and frosty faced throughout the diatribe.

He pulled apart the concept of the vanity project as though it were one of the briefing room’s cheap-looking seats, and Twitter was here for it.

He had more to add on the subject of the government funds – to borrow a Johnsonism – spaffed up the wall.

Never mind Oprah and Meghan – imagine the viewing figures for a Hislop and Johnson interview.

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Downing Street’s £2.6 million briefing room got panned – 17 scathing takedowns

Source BBC Question Time Image Screengrab, Nathan Lee