Esther McVey reportedly blames GMTV's 'cabal' of left-wing presenters for feud with Lorraine Kelly

Conservative leadership candidate Esther McVey has allegedly blamed a “cabal of Lefties” at GMTV for her feud with Lorraine Kelly.

The fallout between the Tory leadership hopeful and the ITV presenter erupted this week after Kelly appeared to snub McVey live on air.

Kelly was asked if she remembered McVey, who used to work for GMTV in the nineties. She quickly moved the conversation on, later saying she disagrees with McVey’s position on LGBT+ rights after the politician appeared to suggest parents had the right to remove their children from LGBT+-inclusive lessons.

After this, McVey addressed the snub, suggesting it might be because she was promoted ahead of Kelly on GMTV.

But Kelly has now fired back, saying she was “baffled” by this claim, as she already had her own show by the time McVey joined GMTV.

Though according to the Daily Express, a friend of McVey now says the feud boils down to several GMTV stars having “links” to the Labour party and GMTV being a “cabal” of lefties.

Former GMTV host Fiona Phillips - who worked with McVey in the 1990s - is a Labour supporter who was allegedly offered a peerage by former prime minister Gordon Brown.

Kate Garraway, who was on GMTV from 2000 to 2010 and has stood in for Kelly on her breakfast show, is married to former Labour strategist Derek Draper.

McVey isn’t the only MP with links to GMTV. Gloria De Piero, now a Labour MP for Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, was a political correspondent for GMTV from 2003 and 2010.

McVey was asked by about the feud by LBC presenter Iain Dale, and responded saying she did not know what she had done to upset Kelly.

Meanwhile, Phillips has come out in support of Kelly, suggesting that any claims that McVey was promoted ahead of her are categorically false.

It doesn't look like this epic feud is going to end any time soon.

H/T: Daily Mail

More: Lorraine Kelly criticises Tory MP Esther McVey over stance on LGBT+ rights