The key facts

  • Prime Minister Andy Burnham will appear in a charity edition of Gogglebox alongside Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram
  • Kemi Badenoch was surprised the prime minister found time for filming that 'takes hours'
  • Burnham: 'I am proud to support Stand Up To Cancer and I make no apology for lightness and humour'

Prime Minister responds to Conservative leader's criticism

Prime Minister Andy Burnham defended his decision to appear in an episode of the Channel 4 show Gogglebox after criticism from opposition leader Kemi Badenoch. Speaking on BBC Breakfast, she said she was 'surprised' that the prime minister had found time to take part in the programme, noting that even as a junior minister or a minister she 'did not have time to go on Gogglebox', and that filming 'takes hours'.

Context of the appearance

Burnham, who previously served as Mayor of Greater Manchester, will appear in the episode alongside his friend Steve Rotheram, the Labour Mayor of the Liverpool City Region. The episode is timed to the Stand Up To Cancer charity campaign and will air on Channel 4 at 21:05 BST.

Burnham's position

'I am proud to support Stand Up To Cancer. I make no apology for trying to go about things with a degree of lightness and sometimes humour — that is how I approach things,' Burnham said. On BBC Radio 5 Live he added that taking part in Gogglebox in support of the campaign had become 'an annual tradition', that he and Rotheram are 'proud to do it', and that he 'tries to lift the country's mood and give hope'. He also noted that he has 'always supported the fight against cancer'.

Badenoch's arguments

Badenoch called appearing on the show 'not her thing' and said she does not understand how the prime minister finds time for it: 'When you get a new job in politics, it is very hard. There is so much to do that it is like drinking from a fire hose.' She described Burnham as someone who is 'on social media all day', adding that she could do the same but 'then would not be able to do the job of leader of the opposition'. In her words, her task is to hold the prime minister to account, and she has 'never seen a prime minister who had so much time for Gogglebox, social media and LadBible'.

Image shows Steve Rotheram, in a white long-sleeved polo shirt, sitting alongside Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who is wearing a black cardigan. They are sitting on the sofa in Downing StreetImage source, Simon Dawson/10 Downing Street
Image caption,

Burnham will appear on the show with his friend Steve Rotheram, the Labour mayor of the Liverpool City Region

Kemi Badenoch on the BBC Breakfast sofa in a light blue suit
Image caption,

Kemi Bademnoch questioned how the prime minister could have time to appear on the programme

Andy Burnham, wearing glasses with short brown hair, smiles at the camera while wearing a white T-shirt and dark blue cardigan