Boris Johnson accused of ‘running scared’ after refusing to commit to Andrew Neil interview

PM also under fire for dodging Channel 4 debate about climate crisis

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has refused to commit to an interview with the BBC's most fearsome inquisitor Andrew Neil.

Johnson has been accused of “running scared” of the former Sunday Times editor after the BBC revealed it had not yet been able to pin him down to a date for an interview.

Neil has already interrogated the Scottish National Party’s Nicola Sturgeon and quizzed Jeremy Corbyn on Tuesday in a particularly bruising encounter in which the Labour leader declined four times to apologise for his handling of antisemitism allegations.

Interviews with Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson and the Brexit Party’s Nigel Farage are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday next week, but Tory sources will only say that they are still “in discussions” with the BBC over an appearance for Johnson.

It emerged today that the PM has offered to appear on BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, sparking speculation in Westminster that he would prefer to submit to the less combative style of the regular weekend host.

Mr Johnson also declined to appear alongside other party leaders on a Channel 4 debate focusing on climate change on Thursday evening, where he was due to be "empty-chaired" with an ice sculpture taking his place.

Asked by the Press Association news agency whether he would face Neil, Mr Johnson dodged the question.

"Here I am being interviewed by you,” he said. “I don't think I have barely stopped being interviewed by people since the election began and will continue to submit to all kinds of inquisitions and interrogations until polling day."

Pressed on when he would do the Andrew Neil interview, Mr Johnson replied: "I'm in discussion with all sorts of people about all sorts of interviews and look forward to doing many, many more."

Asked again, he said: "I'm going to do many, many interviews over the course of the next few days and I'm sure that people are having all sorts of conversations right now about who I'm going to be talking to when and where and I look forward to it very much."

(BBC/PA)

Andrew Neil subjected Jeremy Corbyn to an intensive grilling (BBC/PA)

Mr Johnson refused to say whether he would stay on as Prime Minister if he loses his Uxbridge seat but wins a majority overall in the country.

He said: "We'll be fighting for every seat all over the country."

Pressed again, he told PA: "I'm hoping very much to win again in Uxbridge and South Ruislip and fighting hard for every vote."

Labour chair Ian Lavery said: “Boris Johnson backed out of a head-to-head debate with Jeremy Corbyn on Sunday, he is refusing to take part in the party leaders’ climate crisis debate and now this.

“He’s running scared because every time he is confronted with the impact of nine years of austerity, the cost of living crisis and over his plans to sell out our NHS, the more he is exposed.”