Joe Lycett on the emotional reason that led him to Liz Truss campaign

Joe Lycett has revealed that not being able to see his dying friend during the coronavirus lockdown led to his controversial appearance on Laura Kuenssberg’s BBC show in September.

Appearing on the programme Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, the Birmingham-born comedian made some gags about Liz Truss just before she became Prime Minister.

Lycett had sarcastically said during the show that he was “very right-wing” and felt “reassured” following Truss’ previous live interview in the studio. After then watching Ms Truss live in the studio, Lycett could be heard shouting off-screen: ‘You smashed it, Liz!’.

The 34-year-old has been one of Truss’ most vocal critics, regularly posting hilarious commentary and asides on his social media accounts as her leadership of the Conservative party unfolded.

And discussing his comments on Kuenssberg’s show, Lycett revealed he was angerd by the Conservative Party following the death of his close friend in lockdown.

What did Lycett say?

Appearing on The News Agents podcast, Lycett said: “Since partygate, I’ve been very angry with the government basically, because I lost my best friend at the start of lockdown. He’d had cancer for a long time and I had sort of been a part-time carer.

“He was at home and I’d been going and seeing him a lot and I agreed with his now widow that I wouldn’t go and see him once Covid was sort of starting becaus she was working and she didn’t want a situation where I brought Covid into the house and he would be taken away and would die alone So I agreed to that and so I didn’t get to say goodbye when he died.

“And I’d kind of said eveything to him that I’d wanted to anyway so I wasn’t cross particularly about that. Because I’d followed the rules - we had a funeral and we had a very small and inadequate funeral I would say, we did everything properly.

“And the consistent government lying that they all did for eachother and Boris, I thought was disgraceful really. I thought it was disgusting the way that they behaved in office. And they’re all the same people - there’s this idea they’re a new government - they’re all the same people and I felt angry.

“So when they came into and I was sat there, I felt the swell of anger and when I get angry I get silly. I don’t shout I get sort of - how can I make this person look silly? and I’d sort of half planned to be sarcastic on it, but I hadn’t worked out any lines or anything.”