AFTER a Question Time viewer complained Fiona Bruce got the location of Thornton Manor wrong, the BBC has hit back, claiming it is in Cheshire.

However, locals will know that the country house is in Wirral on Manor Road, Thornton Hough.

Despite the attentive viewer picking the BBC up on this error, the corporation did not back down.

A member of the BBC's complaints team, said: "Thank you for contacting us regarding Question Time on BBC One, 10 October.

"I understand you feel Fiona Bruce inaccurately stated that Boris Johnson and Leo Varadkar met in Cheshire.

"Having reviewed the broadcast, we would clarify that Fiona was correct when stating that Boris Johnson and Leo Varadkar met after talks at Thornton Manor in Cheshire.

"The address for Thornton Manor on the 'thorntonmanor.co.uk' website states that the building is in Cheshire."

Indeed, Thornton Manor's website does state that the country house is in Cheshire, however it is comfortably within Wirral and Alison McGovern's Wirral South Parliamentary constituency.

The confusion arises from the fact that its 'CH63' postcode, makes Thornton Manor appear to be within the county of Cheshire to the uninitiated.

Historically, Wirral was part of Cheshire, but since the passing of the Local Government Act 1972, only the southern third of the peninsula has been in Cheshire, with the rest forming the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in the modern county of Merseyside.

The meeting between Mr Johnson and the Taoiseach last month was seen as a turning point in Brexit negotiations.

Irish sources claimed the PM had shifted ground "significantly" on the key area of customs after the meeting.

A joint UK/Irish statement said the pair had a "detailed and constructive discussion" in Wirral and they agreed to "reflect further on their discussions and that officials would continue to engage intensively on them".