Magda Szubanski criticises Scott Morrison for meeting Piers Morgan

Comedian Magda Szubanski has been called out after wrongly accusing the PM of neglecting Queensland’s flood crisis to spend time with Piers Morgan.

Popular comedian Magda Szubanski has come under fire after joining a pile-on against Scott Morrison over a photo with British TV personality Piers Morgan.

Morgan generated a buzz online after sharing a photo with the Australian Prime Minister to Twitter on Monday morning, thanking him for a 45-minute chat about China, Ukraine and cancel culture.

Labor member for Whitlam Stephen Jones jumped on the opportunity to discredit the Prime Minister, questioning why he was neglecting the growing flooding crisis on Australia’s east coast for a morning of chit-chat with the polarising TV star.

“Brisbane is under water, Lismore is about to be. SE NSW is bracing for a deluge, Ukraine is under siege …. but sure …. Spend 45 minutes with a talk show host,” he wrote in a scathing tweet.

Szubanski agreed, writing: “So Scott Morrison thinks this photo op is more important than being there for the Queenslanders and NSW ppl (sic) who are experiencing devastating floods?”

“Do we really need more proof that this man, in the words of Gladys Berejiklian, is ‘more concerned with politics than people’.”

Entertainment reporter Peter Ford was quick to correct the record.

“Magda, the pic was taken last week. I was unsure at first too. The PM spent yesterday in Queensland assisting with relief efforts. Mr Albanese (who also gave Piers Morgan 45 minutes) was busy attending a party at Peter and Lisa’s mansion,” he wrote.

Morgan also pointed out his meeting with Mr Morrison took place last week - before Russia officially crossed into Ukraine, and also before Queensland’s flooding reached its peak.

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Well this is awkward, because I also spent 45 minutes the night before with @AlboMP … are you as angry with him? 🤣 https://t.co/Q4f2Byanlp

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) February 28, 2022

So @ScottMorrisonMP thinks this photo op is more important than being there for the Queenslanders and NSW ppl who are experiencing devastating floods?!
Do we really need more proof that this man, in the words of @GladysB , is “more concerned with politics than people” https://t.co/9NL6R6XmaK

— Magda Szubanski AO (@MagdaSzubanski) February 28, 2022

Senator Sarah Henderson accused Mr Jones of employing “nasty tactics” while “Australians are dying in floods”.

“Australians are quite frankly sick of this BS,” she said on Twitter. “More than awkward. A complete embarrassment.”

The Australian’s Peter van Onselen also weighed into the debate, writing: “Jumping the gun on Twitter with assumptions about the timing of the PM Morgan meeting…turns out Albo and Morgan met the day before too. Surprising…social media doesn’t bring out a rush to judgement does it surely .”

More than awkward, a complete embarrassment.

Labor denigrates the PM for conducting a 45 min meeting with @piersmorgan when @AlboMP had the same meeting the night before.

Seriously @StephenJonesMP - is this the job that Labor’s tactics team has given you - to publish this BS? pic.twitter.com/P5ytdKymXP

— Senator Sarah Henderson (@SenSHenderson) February 28, 2022

Piers, who formerly hosted Good Morning Britain, is currently promoting the launch of his new global TV show on Sky News, which will air in the UK, the US and Down Under.

“I’ll be calling out extremists from all sides, not just in Australia but anywhere - and especially those who think cancel culture’s a great idea and want to compel us all to lead their own dreary joyless lifestyles,” he recently said in an interview about the program.

Morgan has been increasingly vocal about the devastation in Ukraine, blasting Vladimir Putin's nuclear weapons threat by mocking the Russian leader's "pathetic and paranoid" Covid fears.

The TV firebrand slammed the Russian leader as an "increasingly isolated little man" and urged the world to call out his "bull***t bluff".

Piers hit out at Putin‘s bizarre one-on-one meetings with foreign dignitaries and his own staff at gargantuan tables.

He said: “Nuclear weapons? Putin’s such a tough-guy, he sits this far away from his own generals in case he catches an Omicron sniffle.

“He’s a pathetic, paranoid, increasingly isolated little man whose evil masterplan is fast unravelling & the world should now call his bull***t bluff.”

It comes after Putin put his nuclear forces on high alert just after warning the West "may face the greatest consequences in history".

Originally published as Magda Szubanski criticises Scott Morrison for meeting Piers Morgan