PIERS Morgan clashed with Cabinet minister Nadhim Zahawi on Question Time over the economic turmoil that followed the government’s mini budget.

Mr Zahawi apologised on behalf of the government on the BBC political panel show, which also featured Succession actor Brian Cox, farmer Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones and Labour MP Lisa Nandy.

It comes after the pound plummeted in value against the dollar following the Chancellor’s announcement last month to scrap the 45p rate of income tax rate for higher earners - a move that was later reversed.

Piers, who grew up in Newick, said that Prime Minister Liz Truss had “tanked” the economy with the mini budget and that a “great person” would concede they had made a mistake and let someone else take over.

He then pushed the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to apologise for the turbulence on financial markets that followed the mini-budget.

The former Good Morning Britain host said: “Nadhim, I have great respect for you. You always used to come on Good Morning Britain when a lot of your colleagues wouldn’t.

“I would bellow away and you would just take it and that’s great, and you were great on vaccines.

“What I haven’t heard from any of you at senior level in this party in the last ten days is one word, sorry - sorry to the country for what you have put the country through.”

Mr Zahawi replied that Russian President Vladimir Putin would want the country to be divided, which prompted the audience to erupt into laughter.

“Ask yourself this question, what would Vladimir Putin want us to do - he would want us to be divided right now,” he said.

After Piers questioned why he “can’t say sorry because Vladimir Putin would like it”, Mr Zahawi then said: “Of course I’m sorry, absolutely”.

He added: “By the way, there’s nothing wrong with saying ‘I get it, I’ve listened and I’ve acted, and 95 per cent of what I want to do I’m going to deliver, and I’ll drop the five per cent’, that’s a good thing.”

In another segment of the panel show, Piers also called for a return to old-fashioned policing to restore trust in police forces.

He said: “I think most British people would like more police and more police to go back to doing their proper job - protecting the public and investigating crime.”

Last night’s episode of Question Time can be seen again on BBC iPlayer.