Carol Vorderman says she’ll keep in picking rows with the Government even if it costs her TV jobs
- The veteran presenter recently clashed with Tory chairman Greg Hands
TV presenter Carol Vorderman has said that it is ‘fine’ if she loses jobs amid her recent campaign of criticising the government on social media.
The 62-year-old former Countdown star has been involved in several arguments on X – formerly known as Twitter – with Tory MPs.
A recent spat with Conservative chairman Greg Hands reportedly saw her delete a number of tweets about him on Thursday.
When asked how she feels about criticism from the Tories, Vorderman told The Times on Saturday: ‘It doesn’t bother me… I’ll tell you why. I’m knocking on 63. I’ve made my money. I’ve been through it all.
‘What’s the worst that can happen? That I’ll lose some jobs? Fine by me. Bring it on. They can sling what they like at me.’
Carol Vorderman says she is happy to lose work as a result of her Twitter spats with Tories
The ex-Countdown presenter has recently come to loggerheads with Tory party chairman Greg Hands, who asked her to apologise for posting allegedly defamatory tweets
Tory party chairman Greg Hands was the target of a number of tweets written by Vorderman, which she has since deleted
Mr Hands had called for the former I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! competitor to apologise for posting ‘defamatory and damaging’ tweets about his involvement in a lifestyle firm being awarded a £25.8 million personal protective equipment (PPE) contract in 2020.
Vorderman appeared to suggest that Mr Hands had provided assistance to a firm that applied for a contract through the joint action co-ordination team (JACT), the government’s official body for making PPE arrangements during the pandemic.
Mr Hands had, in fact, referred an email from the company, Luxe Lifestyle Ltd, to the JACT, without making any kind of endorsement of the company.
READ MORE: What’s turned nice Carol Vorderman into a ranting, embittered Twitter troll?: AMANDA PLATELL on how one of the nation’s favourite broadcasters has become a nasty social media warrior
Her tweets had also made reference to the so-called ‘VIP lane’ that saw some companies’ PPE deals rushed through at the height of the pandemic.
The high priority lane procedure for some contracts was later ruled illegal by a high court judge, and firms were forced to pay money back after supplying the NHS with faulty masks and gowns.
On Twitter, Vorderman said: ‘While the awarding of his contract was unfortunate, and there remain serious questions about the VIP Lane, I’m happy to accept Mr Hands’ assurance that his role in the process was simply to refer the approach… and that there was no impropriety on his part’.
Taking to his own Twitter profile, Mr Hands said he ‘welcomed’ Vorderman deleting the tweets and ‘setting the record straight’ that he had no involvement in awarding PPE contracts.
He added: ‘These tweets were defamatory and damaging. She should now apologise.’
Vorderman has been involved in other rows with Tory MPs including in March, when she called on women’s minister Maria Caulfield to resign after she could not ‘be bothered to turn up’ to a committee hearing about the menopause.
Vorderman was forced into a climbdown over her remarks about Greg Hands this week
Hands has called on Vorderman to apologise for the remarks
Vorderman says she will carry on with her social media activity as people ‘bloody love’ it
The MP, who is also minister for women’s health strategy, tweeted that she was ‘not a punch bag’ and said anyone who posted ‘misleading information’ about her would be blocked on the social media platform.
READ MORE: Carol Vorderman is forced into humiliating climbdown as she deletes tweets claiming Tory MP Greg Hands was involved in granting £25m PPE contract to lifestyle firm
Vorderman also told the newspaper that people of all ages say they ‘bloody love’ what she does when they meet her in public.
She also said: ‘I think even the people who say the Tories are bloody marvellous know it’s not true.’
Some coronavirus-related contracts were put in a ‘VIP lane’ when the Government was struggling to buy protective equipment during the pandemic.
A Public Accounts Committee found in July that the Government had a ‘rushed’ approach to buying personal protective equipment (PPE) which resembled ‘panic buying’ but was unable to ‘comprehensively conclude’ that emails from Tory peers led to businesses being treated differently.
‘They tried to persuade us we weren’t bothered about Partygate, and we were bothered and are not forgetting it,’ Vorderman said.
‘And also the ‘VIP lane’ is massively emotional, as it bloody well should be.’
Johnny Mercer has also had several public arguments with Vorderman.
The Minister for Veterans’ Affairs has described Vorderman as a ‘deeply unpleasant person’ on the social media site, while she has posted a number critical remarks about Mr Mercer’s performance as a minister.
Vorderman was announced more than a decade ago by Michael Gove as the head of maths taskforce and appeared before the Women and Equalities Committee to talk about menopause.
She has appeared on ITV’s Loose Women, This Morning and Lorraine along with this year being on I’m A Celebrity… South Africa and hosting a BBC Radio Wales show.
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