On Friday, Carol Vorderman will take another step into politics by joining the panel of the most recent episode of Have I Got News for You.
The 62-year-old television personality is a guest panellist alongside Britain’s Got Talent’s Nabil Abdulrashid, for whom this is his second appearance, and host Steph McGovern.
This will be Carol’s third appearance on the satirical quiz show and her first since 2006, when she appeared with regular panellists Paul Merton and Ian Hislop.
Her appearance represents a significant turning point in her recent career trajectory, as she has become more outspoken against the Conservative government.
The mathematics whiz’s opinions on social media have attracted the attention of Twitter users as well as political commentators.
But what is Carol’s political background, and are her attacks on the Conservative government a recent development, or do they have deeper roots?
Working with David Cameron
Carol made her reputation on television as the resident maths expert on Channel 4’s quiz programme Countdown, showcasing her proficiency with numbers throughout each episode. In 2009, the Conservative Party appointed Carol as the head of a task force that prioritised the teaching of mathematics in schools.
Between 1990 and 2010, Carol published several books on mathematics, and by 2009, she was arguably the most prominent mathematician in the nation.
David Cameron, then-leader of the Conservative Party, appointed Carol to the task force after she criticised the educational policies of the Labour Party under Gordon Brown.
Cameron, months away from becoming Prime Minister, stated, “Carol is passionate about mathematics.” We have all witnessed her remarkable mental arithmetic on Countdown.’
In 2011, the task force recommended that GCSE Mathematics be divided into two study areas, allowing students to acquire improved numeracy skills prior to leaving school.
Question Time
Shortly after David Cameron founded the task force with her at the helm, Carol appeared on Question Time with future prime minister Boris Johnson.
While on the programme, she criticised numerous politicians for accepting donations from non-domiciled status in the United Kingdom, but viewers criticised her for being “out of her depth.”
Tackling Tory equality ministers
In 2023, Carol is a “politically engaged, shameless” public figure who is challenging the government.
Speaking to MailOnline, she previously said: ‘I’ve got nothing to apologise for, so I live without apology. And where I feel a sense of right or wrong, I call it out.’
In March, Carol referred to government equalities ministers as “repugnant” and accused them of neglecting the actual requirements of women experiencing menopause.
‘Government thinks menopause is a middle class issue!’ she posted on Twitter, before criticising ministers who allegedly ‘couldn’t be bothered’ to attend vital meetings.
Slamming PPE spending
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Carol has utilised social media to spread her messages, particularly in regards to government expenditure.
And last month, she directed her followers to a National Audit Office report indicating that ‘fraud and error’ accounted for up to £58 billion of government expenditures in 2021.
She also criticised Baroness Michelle Mone, a businesswoman and Conservative life peer who is a member of the House of Lords, regarding PPE contracts.
‘I cannot talk about useless PPE without also talking about Michelle Mone, who was brought into the House of Lords, as a baroness, by David Cameron,’ she said.
Baroness Michelle denied the accusations in a statement that said: ‘With immediate effect, Baroness Mone will be taking a leave of absence from the House of Lords in order to clear her name.’
Digging through Tory MPs Twitter bios
Carol discovered through her Twitter investigation that former Conservative prime ministers did not mention the party in their Twitter profiles.
‘Of the last four Tory Prime Ministers only Rishi Sunak mentions that he is Conservative,’ she posted on social media.
‘Liz Truss, Boris Johnson, Theresa May – no mention of Conservative. How ashamed of their party are they?’ she quizzed her followers.
So it goes on
Lee Anderson , Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party who doesn’t tell us which party he is the “deputy chairman” of ? 🤔🤔
I suspect a rebranding and change from Tory blue this year #ToriesDeletingTory https://t.co/BWxc8yjUlL
— Carol Vorderman (@carolvorders) April 3, 2023
A Twitter spat then developed between Carol and Tory MP Lee Anderson after she called him out for not disclosing his political allegiances in his bio.
She said: ‘Lee Anderson, Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party who doesn’t tell us which party he is the “deputy chairman” of ? I suspect a rebranding and change from Tory blue this year.’
The representative for Ashfield then added his political affiliation to his bio before alluding to Carol as a “leftist with nothing to do.”
Watch Have I Got News for You on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Source My Celebrity Life.