‘I’m not having this!’ Ex-MP Proctor storms out of BBC interview on sex ring scandal
FORMER Tory MP Harvey Proctor stormed out of an interview with BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty yesterday after a frosty exchange over Scotland Yard’s bungled probe into false claims of a VIP Westminster paedophile ring.
Millions of BBC1 viewers saw an angry Mr Proctor rip out his earpiece and walk away after a tense exchange.
Mr Proctor, who was falsely accused of murdering children by fantasist Carl Beech, had earlier claimed that Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick had lied about the police probe.
He and Ms Munchetty repeatedly talked over each other while he was trying to criticise Ms Dick and the Met. Mr Proctor, who appeared via a video link from the BBC’s London newsroom, muttered ‘I am sorry, I am not having this, sorry’ before ending the interview. He had earlier strongly criticised Scotland Yard’s Operation Midland investigation which treated Beech’s false claims as ‘credible and true’.
Mr Proctor, who lost his job and home over the false accusations, claimed Ms Dick had lied in a radio interview – an apparent reference to her claim that the detective leading the investigation had called Beech ‘credible’ by mistake.
Ms Munchetty replied: ‘The [police watchdog] IOPC also found that there was no evidence regarding lying or deliberate wrongdoing by Cressida Dick.’
As the pair spoke over each other, Mr Proctor said: ‘You must not invite people on to your programme and then not allow them to speak.’ Ms Munchetty responded: ‘I also need to give a right of reply rather than letting you say things which are potentially incorrect or when people don’t have a right of reply.’
The explosive interview came just days after BBC director-general Tony Hall overturned a decision to reprimand Ms Munchetty for accusing Donald Trump of racism.
Mr Proctor last night told the MoS that Labour deputy leader Tom Watson should give the £19,325 ‘dirty money’ he was paid for a diet book to charity, given his encouragement of Operation Midland.