TV debate over UK Tory leadership cut short after on-air moderator collapse – POLITICO

LONDON– A high-stakes televised debate between the two candidates to succeed Boris Johnson as British Prime Minister was abruptly cut short on Tuesday night when the moderator passed out live.

The debate – co-hosted by Rupert Murdoch-owned TalkTV and his Sun newspaper – was cut short just after the halfway mark after a loud crash was heard in the studio.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, the favorite to win the leadership race, was on camera answering a question about Russian President Vladimir Putin and looked visibly shocked.

She could be seen mouthing « oh my god » and then rushing off her podium towards the sound of the accident.

The channel then cut an on-hold message saying they were « sorry for the disruption to this program ».

A TalkTV spokesperson confirmed that host Kate McCann passed out.

« Kate McCann passed out on air tonight and although she is well, the medical advice was that we should not pursue the debate, » the channel said in a statement. « We apologize to our viewers and listeners. »

McCann, a former Sky News presenter, was hired by TalkTV to be its first political editor when the channel launched earlier this year.

Her collapse was the second medical incident to occur on the channel on Tuesday. His scheduled co-host Harry Cole, the Sun’s political editor, had to step down from the debate earlier on Tuesday after testing positive for COVID-19, leaving McCann the solo host of the hour-long show.