Piers Morgan blasts Miriam Margolyes over Boris Johnson comments on The Last Leg

Ofcom has received over 240 complaints about the Harry Potter star's comments 
Kimberley Bond12 May 2020

Piers Morgan has slammed Miriam Margolyes following a controversial comment the actor made on The Last Leg.

Discussing Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s time in intensive care with Covid-19 on the irreverent Channel 4 news programme last Friday, the 78-year-old actor said: “I had difficulty not wanting Boris Johnson to die – I wanted him to die.

“Then I thought, that would reflect badly on me, and I don’t want to be the sort of person who wants people to die.”

Morgan, 55, was left angry at her remarks, and launched into a tirade as he talked to newspaper editors during Tuesday's Good Morning Britain.

Piers Morgan - In pictures

FILE PHOTO: 2019 British Academy Britannia Awards - Arrivals - Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
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“I have had a lot of disagreement on the stuff Boris Johnson’s been doing,” he said. “But when I heard he was in intensive care, my first gut feeling was to root for him, to pray for him and to hope that he came through.

“Shame on you Miriam Margolyes. Shame on you. If someone said on this show 'I wished he’d died', I’d have ripped him, but no one said anything.

"It’s not funny what Boris went through personally on that ICU.”

Margolyes also said on the show that the Government’s handling of the pandemic had been “a disgrace” and a “public scandal.”

Her comments have since attracted nearly 250 complaints to broadcasting watchdog Ofcom.

An Ofcom spokeswoman told the PA news agency: “We are assessing the complaints against our broadcasting rules, but are yet to decide whether or not to investigate.”

A Channel 4 spokeswoman said: “The programme is live and unexpected comments can happen.

“In this instance Miriam went on to say that she wanted him to get better.”

Good Morning Britain continues weekdays from 6am on ITV

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