Matthew Goodwin, professor and co-author of ‘Brexit: Why Britain voted to leave the European Union’, ate his book on a live TV show after his prediction that the opposition Labour party would poll less than 38 percent votes went wrong.
He said in a tweet last month that he did not think Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party would poll 38 percent in the general election on June 8. However, the Labour party won 40.3 percent of the vote.
“I’m saying this out loud. I do not believe that Labour, under Jeremy Corbyn, will poll 38%. I will happily eat my new Brexit book if they do,” he had tweeted.
I’m saying this out loud. I do not believe that Labour, under Jeremy Corbyn, will poll 38%. I will happily eat my new Brexit book if they do
— Matthew Goodwin (@GoodwinMJ) May 27, 2017
After the results came in, Matthew Goodwin was trolled by Labour supporters for his tweet.
Matthew, you are a good man. We’re all counting on you. Don’t let us down now.
— dan (@SavageFletch) June 10, 2017
Appearing on Sky News on Saturday, he was asked if he is a man of his word, to which he replied: “Well indeed I am. I was surprised that Jeremy Corbyn got two percentage points more than I had expected, and I did say that I would eat this book,” Metro News reported.
“Two percentage points makes a big difference, I am a man of my word, so what I am going to do is just sit here and eat my book, while you guys carry on,” he said as he began eating pages of his book, the report said.
This man just ate (some of) his book live on Sky News after making an incorrect #GE2017 prediction @GoodwinMJ pic.twitter.com/13IaFLaJvx
— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 10, 2017
Matthew Goodwin scrunched up a piece of paper and uncomfortably shoved it into his mouth and said: “It is actually a hardback, there are lots of chemicals but I have got to get through the whole thing.”
He then gave a slightly sad thumbs up to the camera.
Later, a Sky News producer tweeted that Goodwin did not swallow the page he was munching on, the report added.
–With PTI inputs
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