The BBC has refused to allow Boris Johnson to appear on the Andrew Marr Show this weekend unless he agrees to take part in a one-on-one interview with Andrew Neil, amid ongoing tension between the Conservatives and broadcasters.
The prime minister has failed to set a date for his proposed half-hour primetime interview with Neil, despite every other party leader agreeing to do one.
Labour has accused Johnson of dodging one of the toughest interviewers on television, insisting they were operating in the belief that the prime minister was already signed up when they agreed to let Jeremy Corbyn appear on the programme.
“The reason [Johnson] is doing this is because he thinks, like his Bullingdon friends, that they are above the rest of us, that they don’t need to be held to account, they don’t need to be treated like the rest of us,” said John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor.
The Conservatives had said they would allow Johnson to appear on this Sunday’s Andrew Marr Show. A BBC source said this offer had been declined and suggested the broadcaster would not let Johnson pick which shows he wants appear on. » | Jim Waterson and Heather Stewart | Friday, November 29, 2019
