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Labour leadership hopeful Lisa Nandy was praised for “putting Piers Morgan in his place” during a debate about the press coverage surrounding the Duchess of Sussex.
The Wigan MP, one of four candidates vying to succeed Jeremy Cobyn, questioned whether the ITV had the right to comment on racism because he has never had to deal with “ingrained prejudice”..
Meghan, who is in Canada after she and Prince Harry stepped down as senior royals, has faced criticism from some sections of the media, with defenders claiming the coverage is racially motivated.
Mr Morgan has long expressed negative views of Meghan but insists the coverage around her is not racist.
As the topic was raised on Wednesday morning on Good Morning Britain, Ms Nandy, who signed a letter from female MPs written in solidarity with Meghan, said: “The way Meghan Markle was treated, I didn’t like it at all… this has not shown the British media in the best light.”
Mr Morgan said the criticism of Ms Markle had “nothing to do with her skin colour” and that she simply does not like negative press coverage – which he claims was weighted with positive reports.
Ms Nandy replied: “If you don’t mind me saying, how on earth would you know? As someone who’s never had to deal with ingrained prejudice?
“You’re not in a position to understand people who have.”
Mr Morgan went on to say that the media had shown an “outpouring” of support for Meghan ahead of her wedding to Harry.
Her comments were praised on social media, with one writing on Twitter: “My admiration for Lisa Nandy and my loathing for Piers Morgan have risen in equal measure by this encounter.”
Another wrote: “Just when I think I’ve decided who to vote for @lisanandy slaps @piersmorgan into place and makes me start thinking who I should vote for again. Hmm!”
Previously, Ms Nandy, whose father is Indian academic Dipak Nandy who settled in the UK in the 50s, said she was a fan of Meghan and described herself as “sceptical” towards the monarchy.
After speaking to Ms Nandy, Mr Morgan doubled down on his views and tweeted: “Media coverage of Meghan hasn’t been racist and in fact, for much of her time in the royal limelight, it was spectacularly positive precisely BECAUSE of her ethnicity.”
The clash comes a day after Mr Morgan said he was “done” and “bored” with the duke and duchess.
Speaking on Tuesday, he said: “I’m done with them now. I’m actually bored with them, and now she’s doing her little photocalls to the paparazzi, I’m really done with them.”
The latest comments come after the Sussexes fired a legal warning shot to the media after several outlets published paparazzi shots of Meghan hiking in Canada.
