Watch moment furious Keir Starmer row erupts on GB News as guest rages at ‘unnecessary’ comment
Watch the moment a fierce row broke out on GB News between political commentators Carole Malone and Jonathan Lis over Keir Starmer’s voice coaching controversy.
Downing Street has been forced to defend the prime minister over his use of a voice coach during Covid restrictions – claiming her in-person presence was necessary for Labour’s response to the Brexit deal.
Leonie Mellinger was said to be a part of a small team supporting Starmer as he prepared to address Boris Johnson’s Brexit announcement on December 24, 2020.
Malone made her anger clear during the GB News debate, branding Mellinger a “failed actress” in a remark Lis deemed “entirely unnecessary”.
Carole Malone clashed with Jonathan Lis on GB News
GB NEWS
“It’s not”, Malone continued. “The Labour Party are trying to make out she is vital to the party work. She is not.”
“This is so stupid”, Lis responded.
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Keir Starmer is under pressure over the revelations POOL“He’s the Leader of the Opposition giving a statement to the nation on the day that we agree the Brexit deal.
“It’s actually quite an important day.”
GB News’s Andrew Pierce questioned why Starmer needed a voice coach giving his past law experience.
“He’s been in courtrooms for years”, he said. “It’s not essential”.
Andrew Pierce questioned why Starmer needed a voice coach
GB NEWS
A government source said Mellinger had worked with Starmer since 2017, primarily in person.
The voice coach travelled more than 50 miles from Brighton to London on Christmas Eve 2020, when the capital was under strict Tier 4 restrictions.
According to social media posts seen by The Sun, Mellinger documented her journey home on a deserted train, posting “#ChristmasEve #GoingHome” at 6pm that evening.
Brighton was under less stringent Tier 3 restrictions at the time, while London faced the strictest Tier 4 measures.
The rules explicitly stated that workers must stay at home and not cross tier boundaries without legal exemption.
Despite previously coaching Starmer remotely via video calls during the pandemic, this meeting was conducted in person.
A spokesperson for Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has called for police to investigate the matter.
“The key question here is: is a voice coach a key worker who can travel from tier 4 to tier 3 during lockdown? It doesn’t matter if you’re part of a core team, that is the question,” the spokesperson said.
Conservative MP Richard Holden has written to the Prime Minister demanding answers about the voice coaching sessions.
“I don’t think… acting classes were essential,” Holden told GB News.
The former minister accused Starmer of having “a casual disregard for the law” during the pandemic.
At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Starmer defended his actions, contrasting them with Johnson’s government who he said were “partying and fighting, vomiting up the walls, leaving the cleaner to remove red wine stains”.
A Labour spokesman maintained: “The rules were followed at all times.”