She may not have the authority but Jackie Weaver stays on Make Me Prime Minister

The local council official, who lives in Prees, is one of the contestants vying to be crowned the alternative PM in an Apprentice-style show where the contestants are given challenges to prove they could run the country.

She is one of 12 hopefuls who battling it out to see if they have what it takes to operate in the "cut-throat world of politics”.

They are being put through a series of tasks by former New Labour communications chief Alastair Campbell and House of Lords member Baroness Sayeeda Warsi.

Jackie shot to internet fame when, as chief officer of the Cheshire Association of Local Councils, she was brought in to oversee a heated Zoom meeting of Handforth Parish Council and muted two quarrelsome councillors, leading to the, now famous, line: "You have now authority here, Jackie Weaver".

She says that, if she was prime minister, she would like to see more funding given to local government so changes could be make at grassroots level.

Her fellow contestants were thrilled when they realised who she was and she explained: "I only introduce myself as Jackie."

She also raised a smile when, sitting in the alternative cabinet office, she quipped: "There is only water on the table, unlike Downing Street."

The contestants were divided into two teams and had to come up with an alternative policy for education.

Jackie's team came up with a policy to have at least one lesson a day off curriculum and for those lessons to be held out of the classroom if possible.

But when the team leader put forward the theory that the costing for the scheme should come from cuts to the Ofsted inspection budget, the scheme lost favour, with both Alastair Campbell and Baroness Warsi and also with the press representatives taking part in the show who grilled the two would-be PMs.

Jackie's team lost the challenge and the person who left the show was team leader Darius.