MP who called for dental checks on asylum seekers responds to Piers Morgan's 'gobby' interview technique

David Davies calls journalist 'unprofessional overpaid gobby celeb pretending to be a serious interviewer'

David Davies, MP for Monmouth, was unhappy with the way he was questioned in an interview (Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)

David Davies, the MP who called for checks on the teeth of asylum seekers to verify their age, has complained about his treatment at the hands of interviewer Piers Morgan, comparing the established journalist to a “student on work experience”.

Mr Morgan repeatedly challenged Mr Davies on his stance on refugees during an interview on ITV’s Good Morning Britain.

But Mr Davies responded by tweeting a photo of a letter of complaint to ITV’s director of news and current affairs, Michael Jeremy.

The Conservative MP for Monmouth also said Mr Morgan was an “unprofessional overpaid gobby celeb pretending to be a serious interviewer.”

In the letter, he asked Mr Jeremy if he thought the conduct of Mr Morgan “was acceptable”.

He complained of being “subjected to an emotive monologue from Mr Morgan” who refused him an opportunity to respond “except for a brief moment at the end”.

Mr Davies continued: “I appreciate that Mr Morgan has strong views on the issue of refugees, which are doubtless shared by his many celebrity friends in London….I have not issue with TV programmes broadcasting celebrities who pour out their emotions, but they should not be put onto a morning news programmes [sic] and treated as serious journalists.”

He went on to challenge the “standard of journalism” on the programme and concluded: “I would have thought that a student on work experience on a regional hospital radio station would have done a far better job.”

Mr Morgan responded to the letter in a another tweet:

Mr Davies was criticised after he suggested children attempting to enter the UK from the Calais jungle camp should face dental checks to ensure they were below 18.

The government has ruled out the checks, a move which was met with approval by the British Dental Association. The group drew attention to the fact that wisdom teeth can appear in children as young as 10 and do not develop in some adults.

Judith Husband, Chair of the BDA's Education, Ethics and the Dental Team Working Group said: "We're pleased the Home Office has finally ruled out the use of dental x-rays on child asylum seekers.

It draws a line under 10 years in which ministers have kept flirting with an eye-catching, but ultimately ineffective, policy.

"Dental x-rays were never going to be a silver bullet for verifying age. They aren't cheap, they aren't simple, and at the end of day they don't provide definitive results."