Piers Morgan locked horns with Labour MP Lucy Powell on Good Morning Britain on Monday.
Piers, 55, was back on our screens today to host the latest edition of the ITV breakfast show alongside co-star Susanna Reid.
Piers challenged the Shadow Business Secretary to explain who the Labour Party expects to pay the government back if the furlough scheme gets an extension.
The programme was put in place in March in a bid to safeguard workers affected by the coronavirus crisis and is set to run out in October this year.
Ms Powell defended suggestions the furlough scheme should be extended to cover sectors expected to experience long-term consequences but failed to provide evidence on how her party would pay for the extension of the programme.
Piers Morgan locked horns with Labour Party MP Lucy Powell on Good Morning Britain on Monday
Piers pointed out the money paid out to help businesses pay wages to their staff would have to be returned to the Government.
The outspoken presenter said: “If you’re going to extend the furlough scheme, as Anneliese Dodds explained yesterday, to almost everybody, someone’s going to pay for this.
“Who, ultimately, would Labour like to pay for it? She suggested you hike tax for the rich.
“Would you bring in a so-called wealth tax on people who earn and have more money?”
Lucy Powell MP clashed with Piers in a ‘wealth tax’ row
Ms Powell insisted neither the Labour Party nor the Government is “talking about taxes”, which prompted Piers to hit back: “Someone’s got to pay for it”.
He added: “Let’s be realistic. You’re not. I know and you know, and the people watching know, that ultimately the Government is in the midst of dishing out money and not getting it back.
“At some stage, we are going to have to collectively start paying.”
Ms Powell responded: “There will be a lot less to pay for if we have a lot fewer people unemployed.
Piers and Susanna were back on our screens this morning to present the latest edition of the ITV breakfast show
“The first thing to say is that the real cost to the public finances is mass redundancies and long-term unemployment.
“That’s why the Government brought in the job retention scheme in the first place.
“It’s not a job redundancy scheme so all the money that’s been spent so far needs to be followed through and seen through so that we see jobs retained.”
Ms Powell echoed Shadow Chancellor Anneliese Dodds when she insisted those with the “broadest shoulders” should contribute more to pay the bill back.
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV at 6am
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
