Former Cabinet minister brands Cameron ‘PINOCCHIO’ & MOCKS PM over TV referendum grilling

DAVID Cameron has been branded a “Pinocchio” by Iain Duncan Smith after the Prime Minister claimed he would want to join the EU under Britain’s renegotiated terms.

The former work and pensions secretary said it was “telling” that Cameron had failed to provide a timetable for meeting his ambition to lower net migration below 100,000 during his TV referendum grilling. 

And Mr Duncan Smith said the Prime Minister’s “scaremongering” was exposed by the laughter of the studio audience when Faisal Islam asked him if a Third World War or a recession would come first if Britain votes to leave the EU this month.

Asked whether Cameron was telling the truth about voting to join the EU if Britain was not a member, Mr Duncan Smith compared the Prime Minister to the Disney character – who is renowned for lying.

He said: "What do you really think? I thought Pinnochio was definitely on offer."

He added: "I thought it was pretty difficult tonight I'm afraid, not one of his greatest performances."

Other Tory Eurosceptics said the Prime Minister was “struggling” during the debate as he desperately tried to defend the UK’s EU membership. 

Energy minister Andrea Leadsom said she was "really shocked at how the PM did" in a TV format which he had chosen – after he refused to go head-to-head in a debate with opponents.

Ms Leadsom said: "He couldn't make the case for Remain on immigration, the economic case, he just couldn't make the case. I think it shows how weak the Remain argument is."

And Tory MP Craig Mackinlay tweeted: "Difficult to see a PM I admire struggling tonight. Clear that it's very hard to defend the shoddy scaremongering of the Remain Camp.

"Tonight we saw public have their say for the first time in this Referendum — the Remain's scaremongering is not impressing real voters."

Nigel Farage also criticised Cameron’s appearance, accusing the Prime Minister of “lying” when he promised to reduce immigration in his manifesto. 

The Ukip leader said: "He can't answer a single question. He just can't do it and what's he has to do all the time is refer back to the single market. And he's using the term single market rather as Ted Heath used common market.

"Anything to get away from immigration, anything to get away from the fact he can't control his borders. Was he lying when he wrote the manifesto or is he lying now, because somewhere this doesn't add up."

Tory Steve Baker dismissed the Prime Minister's plea to parents not to "roll the dice" with their children's future.

He said: "PM playing the 'be good parents' card. Give your children freedom and democracy."

But Education Secretary Nicky Morgan, who supports the Remain camp, said Cameron was "right" to warn voters of the dangers of a Leave vote.

She said: "I think what you saw tonight was an audience who really want to hear about issues, to hear about what it would mean for them if there were to be a vote to leave or obviously remain.

"I think it is important that we continue to set out not just the dangers of leaving the EU, but also the positive reasons for staying in the EU.”