How do you answer a question like ‘you’re a nasty piece of work, aren’t you?’

If you ever thought presenters’ questions were getting easier, think again.

Boris Johnson’s annihilation by Eddie Mair on the Politics Show is evidence, if needed, that they are getting tougher.

How do you answer a question like ‘you’re nasty piece of work aren’t you?’ Boris bumbled his way through with an ill-considered response, which succeeded in incriminating him further and damaging his integrity in a way which has probably jeopardised any hopes he might have had about being a party leader.

It reminded me of the question put to David Cameron by Matt Baker on BBC TV’s One Show last year – ‘how on earth do you sleep at night?’ It is a question that is an attempt to de-stabilise the interviewee by calling into question their moral make up.

When it comes to making the most out of media interviews, you may need to be prepared for this kind of below-the-belt question. It is worth asking yourself ‘what’s the worst question I could be asked?’ and then consider how you would respond. Think of it as the ‘killer question’.

When it came to responding to the question put to him, Boris had a choice, he could have said: ‘Whatever else I am, I am a man of integrity and I find your question insulting. For that reason, I am not going to defend myself against each of these allegations now, because I feel that I have done so already.’

When replying to Matt Baker’s question, David Cameron ignored the negative overtone in the question and played it straight down the line, saying: “I always try to get a good night’s sleep…after all, if you’re exhausted you end up making the wrong decisions.”

This is just one of the reasons perhaps why Cameron is PM and Johnson is Mayor.