BBC's Laura Kuenssberg groped by 'handsy' politician and 'invited to hotel room'

BBC presenter Laura Kuenssberg has spoken out about being "groped" by an unnamed minister. The news presenter appeared on Channel 5's The Jeremy Vine Show to discuss her new memoir, Pay Attention, which reveals some extremely shocking encounters with politicians throughout her time at the BBC. Vine asked; "You were groped at the theatre by another minister and then you had a text: 'I like your outfit and can I see a bit more of it?'" to which Kuenssberg explained: "There was a minister I used to see as a contact to get information.

You have to get to know politicians, as a journalist, so you can find things out." "There was someone I'd had some meetings and coffees with, who basically started asking me to go to events, and I always said no. I didn't actually go to the theatre; they asked me to go and I said no. But over time they started to get a bit handsy, so I cut all contact with them." The broadcaster also revealed she may have been propositioned for a threesome by a government minister and their partner.

Vine said: "In Laura's book, it says that she was propositioned by a minister to have a threesome at a party conference. Is that right?" She then responded: "Well, the story I tell in the book is that it is true that one time, at a party conference - and party conferences are weird things, right? You've covered loads of them too. They're strange things, where you have politicians, journalists, party members all packed in, there are lots of late nights, long hours."

"In that context, it's totally normal for a journalist to be asked to go and speak to a minister late at night because everyone is working long days. You would expect, as I did on that occasion, that when you knocked at the hotel room, their staff or advisers might be there." "You'd go in and have a chat about whatever's happening in politics, who's up, who's down, what's going to be in the prime minister's speech, but as I say in the book, I knocked at the door and this person answered the door with a few too many of their shirt buttons undone and invited me in.

"Instead of their adviser being there, their partner was there in the room. I just thought: 'This is a bit odd, a bit strange'. I sat for a while, chatted politely, and I just felt this felt really creepy. I remember I was moving my chair back further and further towards the wall. So I left very quickly." She made clear: "I don't know for sure if they were looking for some extra late-night activity, or whether they were just friendly. But it felt uncomfortable.

The reason it's in the book is not just to give people a salacious thrill; the reason it's in is that one of the things I'm trying to explain to people is that Westminster and the way politics works are really weird." "In this particular area, the line between work life, professional life, and social life... lines can get really, really blurry in politics. Sometimes that has awful consequences, but that was one of the things I'm trying to explore in the book .

Where the lines are, how you get to know politicians and find out information without finding yourself in a right pickle." Have you joined Threads? Follow Daily Star to keep up to date on all things showbiz here Want all the biggest Showbiz and TV news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free Daily Star Showbiz newsletter