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Jeremy Paxman vs Chloe Smith (Inception Mix) Video , Downing Street and the Treasury came under fire from senior Tories who were furious after a relatively inexperienced minister was humiliated in successive television interviews.

Chloe Smith, who was promoted to the Treasury last year at the age of 29, is fighting to recover her reputation among Tories after struggling to answer basic questions about fuel duty on Newsnight and Channel 4 News on Tuesday night.

Smith, who was appointed as exchequer secretary because David Cameron wrongly believed she was a trained accountant, toured the studios to explain George Osborne's announcement that he would defer a 3p rise in fuel duty until January. The chancellor was entertaining Tory MPs to dinner at No 11 while Smith defended his announcement on television.

Conservative MPs were scathing about the decision to allow such an inexperienced minister to appear on air on such a sensitive matter. "It was obvious that Chloe was struggling after her appearance on the 7pm Channel 4 News," one said. "Whoever allowed her out again on Newsnight at 10.30pm should be taken out and shot."