Tory deputy chair Lee Anderson has been mocked and accused of hitting a “new low” after he tried to make a guest eat cat food live on his new TV show.
Mr Anderson, who Rishi Sunak appointed to the role in February, repeatedly insisted Michelle Dewberry try the pet food.
It comes after he raised eyebrows by feeding cold baked beans to fellow Tory MP Brendan Clarke-Smith on an earlier episode of the programme.
The Ashfield MP, who is best known for his tirades against food banks, had previously boasted that he could show people relying on charity “how to cook cheap and nutritious meals on a budget”.
But he produced the meaty surprise while interviewing Ms Dewberry, a former Apprentice candidate and a fellow presenter on the GB News channel.
She had dressed up as a cat on her own show last month while she discussed claims of children self-identifying as animals.
But she declined the meal, telling Mr Anderson: “You can bugger off,” before adding: “I’m not eating bloody cat food, are you mental? “No I don’t want to.”
Mr Anderson then suggested that they share the disgusting dish, adding: “If I have a forkful, will you have one as well?”
But Ms Dewberry replied: “I don’t want to, no.”
Mr Anderson’s bizarre stunt prompted widespread derision and condemnation in equal measure. One gobsmacked former Labour MP, Anna Turley, simply exclaimed: “The absolute state of the Tory party!”
Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Sarah Olney said: “This a new low even by the standards of Lee Anderson. Rishi Sunak should immediately condemn these disgraceful comments. Anything else would be a damning indictment of his leadership of this sleaze-ridden Conservative government.”
The Tory deputy chair was reprimanded last week for recording a promotional video for his new show inside the parliamentary estate – a breach of strict photography rules.
Parliament’s Serjeant at Arms is to contact the senior Tory, who is paid £100,000 to host the programme, to remind him of his obligations.
