Tory MP claims with a straight face that Boris Johnson 'doesn't lie'

There’s something incredibly painful about watching someone deny solid facts once they are presented to them, and on Monday, Conservative minister Simon Clarke insisted that he does “not believe that [Boris Johnson] does lie” immediately after Kay Burley presented him with instances of the prime minister… well… lying.

Speaking to Sky News presenter Kay Burley, the chief secretary to the Treasury stressed that his party leader was “a good man” and “a good leader”.

Ms Burley, ever to the point in her questioning, simply replied: “He lies.”

“No,” Mr Clarke continued. “I think it’s very important that we allow an independent…”

The journalist fired back: “He was sacked twice for lying. Once from a national newspaper, and once by [former Tory leader] Michael Howard.”

For those not up to speed on how Mr Johnson flirts with the truth like he allegedly did with a mistress in the early noughties, the prime minister was sacked from The Times in the 1980s for making up a quote, and in 2004, he was fired by Mr Howard for lying about an extramarital affair.

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Despite these facts being presented to him, and being cited many times before amid questions over the PM’s honesty, Mr Clarke responded: “I think it is absolutely vital that we don’t prejudge what Sue Gray is going to say, or indeed what the Met Police are investigating.

“I have total confidence in the prime minister, and I do not believe that he does lie.”

Ms Burley wasn’t giving up, and pressed further: “Okay, so why do you think he was sacked by The Times for lying?”

As the broadcaster continued interjecting, Mr Clarke said: “Kay, I don’t know the… I don’t know the circumstances of… I don’t know the circumstances of the prime minister’s previous employment, OK? That’s simply…

“Look, the decisions about who was on the shadow frontbench 15 years and those circumstances which surrounded any of those decisions.”

With a smile on her face, Ms Burley replied: “OK, the lies that were made 15 years ago, they don’t count, then?”

“No, what I’m saying is, we’ve got to wait for the Sue Gray report,” Mr Clarke said, before the Sky News host moved on to another matter altogether.

Awkward.

And it seems Twitter users also found the interview embarrassing as well:

While Mr Clarke is adamant that Mr Johnson isn’t a liar, members of the public think otherwise.

Just look at where clicking on Liar.co.uk takes you…

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