His preferred description of the role of journalists when it came to public figures was to "stick a ferret up their trousers".
When it became clear that the tide of public opinion had turned against the paper's line, MacKenzie would burst from his office shouting "Reverse ferret!
"[1][2][3] The phrase moved into general usage after it became a catchphrase in Private Eye magazine, initially in its 'Street of Shame' section but which quickly spread throughout its more satirical pages.
[5] BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg used the phrase on Twitter in November 2019, when describing the action of Brexit Party leader - Nigel Farage - in standing down all of his party's potential candidates in the December 2019 UK General Election; a general election in which he and his party had been planning to contest seats won by Conservatives in the 2017 UK General Election.
[6] Boris Johnson, then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, used the phrase in an interview in February 2021, when discussing the easing of England's third national lockdown.