Sky News meltdown as Beth Rigby abandons interview after mic blunder
The presenter had an embarrassing on air mishap.
Sky News presenter Beth Rigby had an embarrassing on-air moment as she tried to grab a few words with MP James Murray following Prime Minister Keir Starmer's crunch cabinet meeting in Downing Street on May 12. The presenter had just finished an interview when she spotted MP James Murray coming out on to the street. She turned to a colleague and indicated she was going to approach him, but as she started moving towards him, she realised she was stuck.
Her boom mic was attached to the spot she had been standing, as the cable wouldn't stretch far enough to grab him. She could be heard repeatedly saying "I'm tethered" as she looked increasingly frustrated. Other reporters swarmed around Murray, who was walking briskly, and Rigby was forced to give up and acknowledge she wasn't going to get a moment with him. She looked incredibly frustrated as she returned to the spot she had been reporting from all morning.
READ MORE: Sky News abruptly halted for bombshell Keir Starmer announcement
READ MORE: Keir Starmer ripped apart by former Labour MP in furious 7-minute rant
Following the mishap, she managed to compose herself to analyse the events of the morning so far.
"I still think there is a settled view that Keir Starmer is not the right guy to lead Labour into another general election, but it's not organised," she said.
"Often these things are messy because different people think that they should do the job, and they don't unite and come up with a solution.
"The question I've now got is: how does West Streeting respond?" she said, referencing the fact that the Health Secretary is said to be eyeing up the role of Labour Leader. "Does he respond? Does he resign from the cabinet? Is there another stalking horse that comes forward? Is the feeling amongst those MPs that want him gone strong enough that they actually trigger a race?"
She observed today's situation was a first, and she has never seen cabinet members behave like this before.
"I am flabbergasted. I have done this a long time - I have never seen this. I have never seen cabinet ministers come out after cabinet and publicly support the prime minister."
Referencing Business Secretary Peter Kyle's support for Starmer, she said: "This is really fascinating because you can see what is happening.
"They have lined up cabinet ministers who are backing Keir Starmer to come out of the door and make statements on camera. I have never seen this before."
