Piers Morgan tears into Conservative minister Nicky Morgan on GMB over Boris Johnson's 'nonsense' pledge for 50,000 more NHS nurses as it is revealed 18,500 will be retained from EXISTING staff

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Piers Morgan and Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan today locked horns in a blazing mathematics showdown over whether Boris Johnson's election promise of 50,000 more NHS nurses stacked up.

The heated exchange live on Good Morning Britain saw the fired-up presenter accuse the Conservatives of peddling 'nonsense' because 18,500 are current staff who the Tories would try to dissuade from leaving.

But Ms Morgan rigorously defended the Prime Minister and insisted that this still meant there would be 'more' nurses in 10 years time.

The interview quickly spiralled into a numbers row, with the pair going back and forth over whether the claim was accurate. 

Tearing into Mr Johnson for a lack of honesty, Morgan said: 'When he leads a manifesto that the flagship policy is that there is going to be 50,000 more nurses, you as the Culture Secretary, as a member of that government admit that 19,000 of them are already NHS nurses.

'Viewers at home will be going 'this is complete nonsense!'.' 

Ms Morgan replied: 'There are other ways that nurses come into the NHS. There will be overall, and we're very clear on this, 50,000 more nurses in 10 years time than there are today.'

Morgan interrupted: 'You keep saying that, but 19,000 are existing nurses. Do you see the problem?'

The Conservative minister hit back: 'I think it's fair to say that we have highly skilled nurses that we don't want to leave and if we are able to persuade them and encourage them to stay, that is good news for nursing care.'

To underscore her co-host's point, Susanna Reid reduced the numbers row to a more basic and easy-to-follow example.

She said: 'On Good Morning Britain tomorrow morning there will be three more presenters.

'And then tomorrow you just have exactly the same number of presenters because you've managed to persuade me Piers and Charlotte to carry on.'

Seeming to become unstuck, Ms Morgan replied: 'Well not if you've got your additional three, then you've got your six. 

'But the fact is that three of you have been encouraged to come on on Tuesday morning and not just on Monday morning.'

This provoked a withering response from Morgan, who said: 'Nicky, even as you said that sentence you knew it was probably the wrong avenue to go down, didn't you?'

Ms Morgan scrambled: 'I think it's very clear that the 50,000 nurses...'

Boris Johnson launched the Conservative manifesto in Telford on Sunday, where he unveiled a pledge of 50,000 more NHS nurses

But she was cut off by an incredulous Reid, who cried: 'We wouldn't have six more presenters!

'We would have the three existing presenters, and three extra presenters!' 

After the interview, Ms Morgan, who is quitting Parliament, clarified that the 50,000 figure would include existing nurses being retained.

She said: 'I think there's been a confusion sometimes, people reading that as 50,000 new nurses.

'I think sometimes that's a deliberate confusion and sometimes that's just a genuine misreading of the manifesto.'

In their manifesto published on Sunday, the Conservatives pledged: 'We will deliver 50,000 more nurses, with students receiving a £5,000-£8,000 annual maintenance grant every year during their course to help with their cost of living – and they won't have to pay it back. 

'Everyone will receive at least £5,000 with further funding in regions or disciplines that are struggling to recruit – such as mental health – and help with their childcare costs.' 

Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth slammed the 50,000 figure as 'frankly deceitful', and said: 'First we had Johnson's fake 40 new hospitals, now we have his fake 50,000 extra nurses.'