London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jul 15, 2025

‘Who’s Lorraine?’: No 10 points to PM’s busy schedule after Lorraine Kelly gaffe

Boris Johnson shows ignorance of ITV ‘legend’ during bruising Good Morning Britain interview
Her eponymous programme pulls in well over a million daytime TV viewers, while Lorraine Kelly herself is so famous her chatshow persona has been declared a separate entity for tax purposes.

But with Ukraine, the cost of living and his own political survival to think about, Boris Johnson should be excused for not instantly recognising her name, Downing Street has argued.

An already bruising Tuesday morning interview with ITV’s Good Morning Britain became more alarming still for Johnson’s media minders when he professed ignorance of the fact Kelly’s show was about to start.

After his interviewer, Susanna Reid, referred to the show beginning immediately afterwards, Johnson replied: “Who’s Lorraine?” Reid responded with evident surprise: “Who’s Lorraine? Lorraine is a legend.”

Asked whether Johnson knew who Kelly was, his official spokesperson said it was less a case of complete ignorance about one of the UK’s better-known TV faces, and more about the prime minister being too busy to realise her show was coming next.

“I think, as was clear, the prime minister was not fully across the ITV daytime lineup this morning,” the spokesperson said. “But you’ll appreciate he has a number of issues to deal with on his desk.”

In 2019, a tribunal judge hearing a long-running case in which Kelly appealed against a £1.2m tax and national insurance bill from HMRC agreed it was legitimate for the presenter to be considered a theatrical artist, meaning payments to an agent were a tax deductible expense. Rather than being herself, Kelly performs the role “of a friendly, chatty and fun personality”, which amounts to a separate persona, the judge said.

Kelly did not comment on Johnson’s apparent lack of knowledge about the timing of her long-running show, saying only: “Wow, thank you Susanna, a masterclass in a political interview, excellent stuff.”

The grilling had focused strongly on the cost of living, with Johnson accepting his government had not done enough to alleviate the pain of the cost-of-living crisis

“I accept that those contributions from the taxpayer, because that’s what it is – taxpayers’ money – isn’t going to be enough immediately to help cover everybody,” he said. “There is more that we can do but the crucial thing is to make sure we deal with the prices over the medium and long term.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
×