Edwina Currie brands Carol Vorderman 'nasty' as her BBC role is called into question

Carol Vorderman has been branded "nasty" by Edwina Currie amid a row that has erupted over her political views and role at the BBC.

The former Countdown star presents a programme for BBC Radio Wales, but former Conservative MP Currie has said that she has "a problem with Carol", complaining that her criticism of the Tories on social media does not fit with the broadcaster's impartiality values.

In a discussion on GB News, presenter Dan Wootton asked Currie what she thought of questions about Vorderman's role at the BBC given her outspoken tweets.

Currie admitted: "I do have a problem with Carol.

"One is the way in which she puts her points of view is really quite vicious."

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The ex-politician argued that Vorderman should be more respectful in disagreements and to consider that the other person could be right.

She continued: "You treat people with some respect. You try and show other people how to behave.

"She's doing completely the opposite. So much of what she's saying is so unpleasant and so nasty and so directed at the individual and not the policy that you think, 'Oh, come on, you're going overboard.'"

Vorderman's comments on Twitter have included criticising Rishi Sunak and Tory MPs over the handling of the cost of living crisis, Covid, tackling climate change and the government management of policing.

The mathematician and broadcaster had previously supported David Cameron's 2009 campaign for maths education, criticising the standards achieved under Labour governments.

Currie said: "She used to be a Tory! She used to be a great pal of David Cameron, and I don't remember her being so very nasty then about the Labour Party and the opposition.

"But the other thing, as you say, she currently has a live presentation on a national, taxpayer funded broadcaster.

"We don't have any choice, if we're going to listen to the BBC at all, we don't have a choice."

However, Narinder Kaur who was also taking part in the discussion argued that Vorderman was a freelancer at the BBC and was keeping her views to her own personal social media accounts rather than airing them on the radio.

One of Vorderman's spats with the Tories has been with MP Johnny Mercer, disagreeing with his comments on food bank use being a personal choice for military veterans.

Mercer's wife Felicity Cornelius-Mercer also waded into the row, labelling Vorderman a "celebrity attack dog" on Rachel Johnson's LBC podcast.