A minister called out a Tory frontbencher on live TV today when he repeatedly interrupted her.

Lucy Powell told Richard Holden not to “shout over me” as they clashed over the details surrounding Labour’s attempts to hand the Chagos islands over to Mauritius.

Reports claim Keir Starmer has made some concessions on the deal and the UK allegedly could pay Mauritius £18 billion to take the British Overseas Territory – twice as much as originally suggested – during a 99-year lease.

However, Downing Street sources have insisted that figure is wrong.

On BBC’s Politics Live, Holden said the Tories did start the negotiations to give up the Chagos Islands, which is home to a US-UK naval base, but “at no point” did the last government plan to “give away £18 billion” as part of the deal.

Powell, who is the Leader of the House of Commons, cut in at this point and said to Holden: “You know though that’s nonsense.”

“What are they then, Lucy?” The shadow attorney general asked Powell. “If they’re nonsense, what are the figures then? You don’t know do you, Lucy?”

“Well –” She began, but he cut in again, repeatedly asking: “You don’t know do you, Lucy?”

“They will become clear but I know they are nonsense,” Powell said.

“How can you possibly say that?” He replied.

She hit back: “You want to get onto that while ducking the very important issue here which is, as you know that it’s in our national interest –”

“It’s absolutely not in our national interest, it’s in China’s national interest –”

“Don’t shout over me! It’s not a good look,” Powell said. “It’s in our national security –”

The Tory MP said: “You can’t even answer the question about how much it’s going to cost.”

Powell said loudly: “Are you talking over me again?”

When Holden began to speak, the minister said: “Are you talking over me again? Are you?

“OK, can I speak? Can I speak?”

Host Jo Coburn cut in at this point, and said: “Richard and Lucy, just cool it.”

Powell pointedly looked at Holden and said: “Stop talking over me, it is rude.” 

She also noted that it was in the government’s “national interest” to get a long-term arrangement to keep the US-UK naval base in Chagos.

The minister noted that the deal would also be announced in parliament soon, and “at that point Richard can see that what he is saying is nonsense”.