Ben Wallace is grilled on Nadine Dorries' cabinet appointment

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Ben Wallace spoke with Sky News presenter Niall Paterson about the recent Cabinet reshuffle and was grilled over whether appointments made by Prime Minister Boris Johnson were carried out due to loyalty. Mr Paterson queried what qualified Nadine Dorries to be the new Culture Secretary, with Mr Wallace unflinchingly stating because she was an author she was up for the job. Mr Paterson was stunned after Mr Wallace then stated the job role was “vast” as people online began calling the Defence Secretary a “laughing stock.”

Twitter users mocked Mr Wallace’s analysis of Ms Dorries’ appointment after suggesting being an author qualifies her to be in her culture role.

Twitter user @P1anetmatt said: “By that logic, you might as well put Ronald McDonald in charge of school dinners.”

@Clash_rocker added: “Katie Price as culture secretary minister, really?

“Well, but, yeah, she’s sold thousands and thousands of books.”

@Liverpoolcallin wrote: “What a load of cobblers!”

@Sammwittings said: “Ben Wallace making himself a laughing stock on #skynews by saying Gavin Williamson did a fabulous job and was not sacked due to incompetence.

“Then saying Nadine Dorries is qualified to be culture Secretary because she wrote a “popular” book.”

Speaking on Sky News, Mr Wallace was asked by Mr Paterson what qualifies Ms Dorries to be in her role as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media as there have been “eyebrows raised”.

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Mr Wallace replied: “Well I think Nadine Dorries is a best selling author, you know, if that isn’t the culture…

“I couldn’t even begin to write a chapter let alone a book, she took herself when she was an MP and decided she was going to be an author she’s sold thousands of books.

“And if that wasn’t part of culture, media and sport, I don’t know, what’s great about Nadine Dorries is she produces a culture that people buy and actually want to see rather than some of the more crackpot schemes we’ve seen being funded in the past by taxpayers money.”

Mr Paterson then wondered whether it was appropriate for Ms Dorries to be in her role when she voted against gay marriage as he remarked: “I don’t know if Nadine Dorries has spent much time in theatreland?”

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The Defence Secretary replied: “As you know culture is a very, very broad range of industry, it’s vast, it’s not just 24-hour news here it links all the way through to theatrical performances.

“But I think, Nadine will be a great secretary and I think the other thing we should remember is secretary of state are there to deliver the government’s agenda along with the manifesto.”

Ms Dorries wrote The Four Streets which was based on her Liverpool background and sold 100,000 copies by July 2014, making it a No.1 best-selling e-Book.

However, the book came under intense criticisms with Christopher Howse writing in The Telegraph it was “the worst novel I’ve read in 10 years.”

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