During a discussion about immigration on Question Time, Dragons’ Den star Theo Paphitis became so frustrated that he buried his head in his palms.
Theo, 63, appeared on the reality series from 2005 to 2013 as one of the dragons, having made the majority of his fortune in retail.
In the years since, he has substituted for other dragons on the programme and appeared multiple times on Question Time.
On this week’s episode, the entrepreneur was frustrated after Conservative MP Laura Trott, parliamentary undersecretary at the department of work and pensions, evaded a query about migration nine times from host Fiona Bruce.
It comes at a time when net migration levels have reached a record high, with the Office of National Statistics reporting that total migration into the United Kingdom in 2022 reached 606,000.
When asked to explain why her government was failing on immigration, Trott laboured to explain how her party, after 13 years in power, would keep migration numbers low.
As a response to the first query on the programme, “What is the appropriate level of immigration?” Trott stated that the Conservatives had “a plan to reduce immigration,” which included the crackdown on small vessels.
She added: ‘The last thing I’ll say is you can’t trust Labour on this one. They went into the last election saying they wanted freedom of movement. As recently as 2020, Keir Starmer said he wanted to defend free movement.’
However, Paphitis’s frustration with her response was evident.
‘I’ve never been (so) disappointed when a politician comes on, gets asked a question, and the first thing they do rather than answering a question is attack the opposition. It was a question that needed an answer.’
The conversation then turned to work visas, with recent data indicating that 1.47 million were issued in the year ending in March 2023, an increase of 53% from the previous year.
Bruce repeatedly asked Trott who the Conservative government would prefer not to enter the United Kingdom on work visas.
‘It’s really important we have more training for people in the UK,’ she replied, which left Bruce frustrated as she suggested the example of lorry drivers given would not make much of a dent in the figure.
When Trott said she would like ‘lots of jobs to be done by British people’, her co-panellist put his head in his hands.
This was pointed out by Bruce, who said: ‘He has got his head in his hands so we’re not getting anywhere.’
Some viewers at home weighed in as well.
‘Well done Theo for calling out Laura Trott for not answering the question and playing party politics,’ one viewer posted on Twitter.
‘Theo Paphitis telling as it is and speaking common sense,’ someone else wrote.
When bidding farewell to Dragons’ Den a decade ago, Paphitis said it had ‘not been an easy decision or one I have taken lightly’.
‘But with the workload involved in growing my exciting, successful new lingerie brand Boux Avenue, along with my recent purchase of the Robert Dyas retail chain and the running of the 240 Ryman stationery shops, the time felt right to give up my seat, stop breathing fire and allow someone else to enjoy the wonderful experience of being a Dragon,’ he added.
Question Time airs Thursdays at 10.45pm on BBC One.
Source My Celebrity Life.