I've faced Piers Morgan. I completely understand Rishi Sunak’s reluctance to go on Good Morning Britain

Making ministers look foolish is entertaining and leads to high viewing figures and happy bosses, but at a time like this, what exactly is it doing for the viewers?

Rishi Sunak is the latest government minister to join the cabinet boycott of ITV show Good Morning Britain.

The decision provided high drama for Piers Morgan, who informed his Twitter following: “Once we allow the [government] to boycott news outlets like @GMB for asking ministers tough questions, it’s a slippery slope to a totalitarian state.”

Whether you define it as a news outlet or breakfast entertainment programme, the situation was communicated to viewers on Wednesday morning with Morgan announcing: “Day 14 of the government’s boycott of us – however, next up is Amanda Holden.”

Yet later in the show, Priti Patel was interviewed by Lorraine Kelly, indicating that it’s not GMB that has led government ministers to swerve morning television on ITV, it’s Morgan and his daily game of gotcha.

Britain has the second-highest number of deaths in the world, over 200 of our NHS and care staff are dead and that number is rising. There is a massive lack of PPE, testing targets are consistently being missed and the lockdown rules are widely recognised as totally incoherent. Questions, and tough ones, need to be asked. But watching Morgan “win” like it’s a round in a boxing match won’t change or progress anything except animosity.

Claims that ministers are “hiding” and avoiding “explaining themselves” by refusing one TV show are clearly nonsense. If you want to hear the PM be verbally accosted, belittled and shut down, tune in to GMB. If you want to hear the PM answer tough questions, listen to PMQs.

Firm questioning doesn’t inherently involve aggression, shouting and raising eyebrows. Speaking with respect isn’t “sugarcoating”. Hysterically peppering every query with words like “national scandal”, “disgrace” and “coward” doesn’t make for forensic questioning. If MPs are outright refusing to engage with Morgan and his platform, it’s because of the unchecked toxicity that has led to this very point.

Even if Morgan really was “asking the questions that need to be asked” it would be helpful if he allowed an answer. Morgan says “ministers all get plenty of time to speak on @GMB”. But watching the presenter’s goading of Andrew Bridgen, it was more an uncomfortable monologue. It has since received 281 complaints to Ofcom.

Nicola Sturgeon received similar treatment in a recent appearance on GMB, even though she was wholly agreeing with Morgan. Like his former pal Trump, there is something oddly adolescent about his interview technique. Watching someone nod politely while Morgan gives a lecture he decided on before he’d even set up the Zoom call is not “holding the government to account”, it’s theatre.

Morgan doesn’t interview, he “sea-lions” his guests and it is ugly. It was having been on the receiving end of a Morgan monologue myself that I discovered the term. “Sea-lioning” consists of pursuing people with persistent requests for evidence or repeated questions, while maintaining a pretence of civility and sincerity. It was first conceived of in a comic strip by American cartoonist David Malki. The comic sees two people discussing sea lions. When one arrives, the sea lion will not leave, insisting that the people give better responses to his questions, demanding more proof that never meets the mark.

Watching my own appearances back, I notice that instead of listening and retorting, Morgan repeats questions that are often not relevant until I bite, something he pushes with all invited guests. He then feigns ignorance and politeness, so that if the target is provoked into making an angry response, he can then act as the aggrieved party.

But it makes headlines and notches up huge viewing figures, so Morgan stays. Delighted with this success, he will share the viewing figures next to BBC stats on his Twitter feed. He has even accused BBC Breakfast’s Dan Walker of being a “soft touch” and revels in the long-standing breakfast presenter rivalry.

Making ministers look foolish is entertaining and leads to high viewing figures and happy bosses, but what does it do for the viewers? It incites anger, frustration and, most crucially, confusion, so no one wins except for Morgan. This is extreme egotism over journalism. In future, when ministers do go on BBC instead of ITV they could explain this for themselves. The government were elected, Piers Morgan was not.