BBC Breakfast’s Sally Nugent went all Jeremy Paxman on health secretary Victoria Atkins and people loved it

John Plunkett. Updated February 7th, 2024

To BBC Breakfast now, where estimable presenter Sally Nugent was keen to ask the health secretary Victoria Atkins about the NHS budget for dentistry.

Dentists have been critical of the government’s NHS dentistry ‘recovery plan’ and Atkins has repeatedly dodged questions on whether the plan was being funded by an underspend in the NHS dentistry budget and if the current budget was far lower than it was 10 years ago.

So Nugent had another go. And another go. And another go. And it was just magnificent!

Sally Nugent: Am I right in thinking the budget for NHS dentistry has dropped by £500m since 2014

Victoria Atkins: Our budget is £3b

SN: Is the budget lower than it was… additional after a budget cut… it's not Labour asking you these questions, it's me#BBCBreakfast pic.twitter.com/HdzdPUJ4Hz

— Haggis_UK (@Haggis_UK) February 7, 2024

Still didn’t get an answer though.

It took us back to that Jeremy Paxman interrogation of Michael Howard on Newsnight all those years ago.

Maybe we shouldn’t be calling it ‘a Paxman’. ‘A Nugent’ serves just as well.

And here are just a few of the things people were saying about it.

I have rarely seen a politician more out of their depth than Victoria Atkins. https://t.co/HjTb9CB3Et

— RS Archer (@archer_rs) February 7, 2024

TEMPORARY FILLING?

Govt takes £1,000m out of annual NHS dentistry budget since 2010 (in real terms).

In panic puts £200m … back and claims it is “delivering”? https://t.co/daMPJtbWx0

— Prof Colin Talbot (@colinrtalbot) February 7, 2024

Do you think they think to themselves afterwards that they did great at being interviewed? Or do they just surround themselves with nodding dogs.

— Lee Fadden ️‍️‍⚧️ Jiggy (@maobook) February 7, 2024

Good work by Sally Nugent this morning on BBC Breakfast holding Victoria Atkin to account – repeatedly bringing it back to whether the dentistry budget has dropped by £500m since 2014. So that’s a yes, then.

— HKane (@HKane16) February 7, 2024

Atkins is what you’re left with when you’ve scraped the bottom clean out of the barrel and you’re turning up woodlice and soil. Thick as mince, but she got to cosplay being a minister for a few months, so she’s probably happy. It’s way more than her ‘talent’ deserves.

— Dan Hemmings (@MrGrumpy120) February 7, 2024

Nugent goes Paxman: ‘Is the budget lower than it was?… is that lower than it was?… but is it lower than it was?…’ #BBCBreakfast pic.twitter.com/xJhb3T8Xd3

— Toby Earle Threads tobyontv (@TobyonTV) February 7, 2024

My take from Sally Nugent’s interview with Victoria Atkins…#BBCBreakfast pic.twitter.com/BNldk8v9Ov

— Wokey McWokeface (@WokeyMcWokefac3) February 7, 2024

Victoria Atkins our Health Sec taught BBC Linekerist Fanny Nugent a lesson today.
She Bob Geldofly told Nugent that she didn’t have to answer questions about dentistry budget cuts.
Why should she?
These are Labour Party questions NOT proper questions!
pic.twitter.com/Z6QtByXK0h

— Sir Michael Take CBE (@MichaelTakeMP) February 7, 2024