Sky's Kay Burley accused Liz Truss of "hesitation" when questioned if she attended any Downing Street parties.

The foreign secretary's controversial interview on The Kay Burley show saw her breeze through "seventeen" questions on the alleged lockdown-breaking events.

But despite flying through the interrogation, the foreign secretary's reassurances on Sky News left some viewers unconvinced.

The total tally of alleged Downing Street gatherings has now hit 18 - though Sue Gray's investigation will only focus on 16 events.

Darlington and Stockton Times: Undated handout photo issued by GOV.UK of Sue Gray, second permanent secretary at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, who will take over from Cabinet Secretary Simon Case who has "recused himself" from leading the investigation.Undated handout photo issued by GOV.UK of Sue Gray, second permanent secretary at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, who will take over from Cabinet Secretary Simon Case who has "recused himself" from leading the investigation.

Liz Truss' interview with Kay Burley

The viral interview saw Sky's Kay Burley ask whether Liz Truss was invited to any gatherings at the height of Covid restrictions.

It came after the minister blocked further questioning on Sue Gray's investigation by claiming it would "prejudice" the investigation.

The presenter asked: "Did you go to any parties? That's not speculation."

"I didn't," Truss responded.

To the questions "Any?" and "Were you ever invited?", she said: “No."

"You hesitated," Burley said, but Truss denied the pause and added: "Well no I wasn't."

The interview received a mixed reaction on social media, though many claimed "her pause and smirk" was a sign of deceit. 

"That's a definite lie about being invited to one. The pause and micro smirk give it away," one Twitter user said.

"Wow. That few seconds speaks volumes," another added.

One social media user said: "I noticed that as well. Our mouths may lie but our bodies leak information that we cannot control. Her pause and smirk said all I needed to hear and turned over."

"That pause suggests to me she's lying," another user said.

Others accused Kay Burley of "hypocrisy", having gathered with “a small number of Sky News staff" for her birthday party in December 2020 at the time of Tier 2 restrictions.

The news presenter was taken off air for three months by Sky News while the channel’s political editor, Beth Rigby, and correspondent Inzamam Rashid were also sanctioned.

"How dare you give anybody a grilling KB about breaking Covid rules," one Twitter user said.

"If the prime minister has to lose his job how come you've still got yours."

Another said: "Oh the hypocrisy. @KayBurley did [YOU] get invited to any parties and did you attend? Awkward."