No, Nadine Dorries didn't say we should use cats and dogs to stay warm

Far be it for us to come to Nadine Dorries' defence.

After all, the culture minister is one of the silliest going - frequently coming out with nonsense takes, attacks on other politicians and weird TikToks that haunt us in our dreams.

But as journalists, our first duty is to tell the truth, and an allegation that Dorries said something ridiculous on Twitter about using animals to keep warm during the winter is simply not true.

Allow us to explain. Over the weekend a screenshot of a tweet circulated that looked like it was posted from Dorries' account, suggesting people put dogs and cats in their sleeves for warmth.

The alleged tweet read: “To keep warm this winter we should turn to man’s best friend, the domesticated dog.

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“As a nation of animal lovers, we are well aware that dogs can provide warmth. Also, in ancient China Shih Tzus were inserted into sleeves to keep people warm.

“Cats probably work quite well to.”

But according to fact checking organisation, Full Fact, it is nonsense.

In a blog post they said: "There is no trace of the tweet on Ms Dorries’ Twitter feed, nor does the text of the alleged tweet appear on Twitter via search."

They also said that a spokesperson for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) confirmed to them that it was fake.

So there you have it. She may be the minister for gaffes, but this time she's off the hook. This time.

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