Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner has hit out at a radio host after she appeared to struggle in an interview and was unable to say how many children would be affected by Labour’s plans to cut class sizes.

Angela Rayner claimed LBC presenter Nick Ferrari had, in fact, got his own figures wrong as he questioned her over how many children Labour’s policy would help.

Asked four times, Ms Rayner said “a significant number” of children would be affected, only for Mr Ferrari to say the actual figure was around 520,000.

But speaking to reporters later, Ms Rayner, who referred to Mr Ferrari as “Nick Farage” in what aides said was a misspeak, said the presenter had “made a hash of it” himself.

Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage also hosts a show on LBC.

Speaking after Labour’s education policy event in Leeds, Ms Rayner said: “I have a huge amount of figures and actually Nick (Ferrari) didn’t know his figures because he was quoting 2015 figures where it’s not 520,000, it’s 538,000 that would be affected by it.

“And therein lies the problem, if you try and wing it and you haven’t got that information then you make a hash of it, and that’s what Nick did because he tried to say ‘well I know the figures more than you.” Well, he didn’t.

“I was absolutely clear that there’s a significant number that would be affected by that and I outlined that and he confirmed it by what he said.

“But he was wrong in his figures because he was trying to be, as Nick (Ferrari) often is, he tries to be clever in the way that he says ‘you were two points out or you were three points out’. I was clear on what our manifesto pledge is.”

She added: “It would be interesting to see if he gives the Conservatives such a hard time.”

Diane Abbott
Diane Abbott also had a hard time at the hands of LBC presenter Nick Ferrari (Isabel Infantes/PA)

The interview came after Mr Ferrari exposed shadow home secretary Diane Abbott’s repeated inability to explain how much Labour’s policy to recruit thousands of police officers would cost.