Boris Johnson interview live: Ex-prime minister says he regrets apologising for Partygate in ITV grilling
Comes as Sir Keir Starmer faces backlash over Chagos Islands deal with protest planned
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Boris Johnson has said he regrets apologising for the so-called partygate scandal over lockdown-era gatherings in Downing Street in a new interview.
Facing a grilling on ITV tonight, the former prime minister claimed the move had “inadvertently validated the entire corpus” as accusations were also levelled at officials who were “working very hard”.
He went on to defend the revellers, insisting that he does not think officials involved in the Westminster scandal “thought they were setting out to break the rules”.
Meanwhile, Sky News’s political editor Beth Rigby announced she has pulled out of an interview with Mr Johnson at the Cheltenham Literature Festival after being told she could not make a recording or transcript of the talk, marking the second interview the former Tory MP has lost this week.
It comes as a group of indigenous Chagossians, Chagossian Voices, planned to stage a protest in Westminster, claiming they have been “consistently and deliberately ignored” by the UK government over discussions surrounding the handover of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, The Independent understands.
Sir Keir Starmer has defended the government’s decision in the face of significant backlash, claiming that the UK-Mauritius deal ensures continued security of the US-UK Diego Garcia military base.
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Johnson does not rule out return to politics
Boris Johnson has not ruled out a return to British politics.
At the end of his interview with ITV’s Tom Bradby to promote his new memoir Unleashed, it was put to the former prime minister whether he believed his political career to be over.
The former Tory MP said he is currently living a life of “blameless obscurity, rustic obscurity” but was not drawn on the interviewer’s question, saying: “The answer to your question is to be found in the 738 pages of Unleashed.”
Mr Bradby responded, “I’ll take that as a return is possible,” to which Mr Johnson offered no denial.
Boris Johnson defends Partygate revellers
Boris Johnson has defended Partygate revellers.
He said he does not think that officials involved in the Westminster partygate scandal "thought they were setting out to break the rules".
The former prime minister told ITV News: "I really, really don't think that those officials thought that they were setting out to break the rules... they were working round the clock and they thought they were within the framework."
Repeatedly pressed on why he regrets apologising for the scandal and whether he understands the scale of public anger, he said: "Of course I understand it and you can't say that I haven't been exposed over the last few years to the full force of people's anger and indignation."
Johnson squirms responding to claim he’s ‘worst prime minister in British history'
Boris Johnson squirmed as he responded to the claim made by the unofficial biographer of prime ministers that his premiership was the worst of all time.
ITV’s Tom Bradby put to the former Tory MP that author Anthony Seldon “says you’re the worst prime minister in British history” – even worse than Liz Truss’s, whose catastophic tenure ended after just 49 days.
A visibly uncomfortable Mr Johnson responded: “I don’t know this guy very well, but that’s complete nonsense. I think you’ll find a pretty extraordinary story in three years.”
He went on to reel off what he saw as his government’s achievements of Brexit and supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
“Not only did we deliver freedom and independence for our own country,” he said. “We were essential in protecting another European country from having it’s own freedom and independence extinguished.”
Analysis: Boris Johnson uses interview to reignite his feud with Sue Gray
Boris Johnson is using the interview to reignite his feud with Sue Gray.
The former top civil servant is the one who presided over the official Partygate report.
Mr Johnson asked ITV’s Tom Bradby “what post does she currently hold?” at least five times during ther chat.
Ms Gray is currently Keir Starmer’s chief of staff.
She went to work for the Labour leader after the report – leading to accusations of a stitch up by Mr Johnson’s allies.
Johnson defends those who attend lockdown parties in Downing Street
Boris Johnson has defended officials who attended parties in Downing Street during lockdown.
Discussing the so-called partygate scandal in a new ITV interview, the former prime minister said: “I really dont think those officials set out to break the rules.”
It comes after it was revealed earlier that the former Tory MP said he regrets apologising for the lockdown-era gatherings, claiming the move had “inadvertently validated the entire corpus” as accusations were also levelled at officials who were “working very hard”.
Analysis: Boris Johnson under pressure in first TV interview since leaving office
Boris Johnson is coming under pressure in his first TV interview since leaving office.
ITV’s Tom Bradby is putting the ex-PM under the microscope and is hitting the former Tory leader – famously never a details man- with details.
He has challenged him on a series of statistics over Brexit’s effect on the economy.
And Mr Johnson squirmed and blustered as he was asked if he regretted his Partygate apology to the Queen.
Johnson denies he was focused on his Shakespeare book as Covid hit
Boris Johnson denies he was too focused on his Shakespeare book as Covid hit.
The ex-PM missed a series of emergency government Cobra meetings as the pandemic took hold.
But he denied to ITV that at that stage he was not focused on his upcoming book about Shakespeare.
“That’s complete nonsense… a total, total myth” he said.
Johnson defends Brexit and its legacy
Boris Johnson has defended Brexit and its legacy in a new interview with ITV News.
The former prime minister said: “I think the legacy of brexit is that it saved many lives of elderly, vulnerable people during a very difficult time for this country.
“It allowed us to do things differently and better for the people of this country.”
When asked if he thought Britons are poorer now and likely to be poorer in the future because of Brexit, the former Tory MP insisted: “No, I absolutely don’t.”
Boris Johnson tries to blame David Cameron for Brexit chaos
Boris Johnson used his ITV interview to hit out at David Cameron’s handling of the aftermath of the Brexit vote, suggesting it was “not normal”for the former prime minister to “evacuate the stage” after the referendum, writes The Independent’s Whitehall Editor Kate Devlin.
Mr Johnson and Michael Gove, who were part of the Vote Leave campaign, have been accused of unleashing chaos on the UK for campaigning for Brexit without a clear plan for what it would mean.
But Mr Johnson tried to turn the blame on Lord Cameron.
He said: “What we expected and what I think, you know, everybody expected was that the Cameron government having called a referendum a ‘yes’, ‘no’ choice for the people - a leave, remain choice for the people - would bring forward a white paper.”
He said he was shocked when Lord Cameron left Number 10 the morning after the vote. He said: “Because every other European leader when their whole referendum decides, you know, once the people have voted, decides what to do and stays in office.
“So, it’s not normal for the prime minister having asked for a referendum vote suddenly to evacuate the stage.”
In response to the privileges committee, Mr Johnson called their conclusions “deranged” and “the final knife-thrust in a protracted political assassination”.
Ed Miliband backs assisted dying bill, calling current law ‘cruel'
Energy secretary Ed Miliband has called the UK’s current ban on assisted dying “cruel” and confirmed he will support a new Bill when it reaches parliament.
Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Mr Miliband reiterated his long-standing position on the issue, stating: “I will be voting for the assisted dying Bill. It will be a free vote for Members of Parliament. These are very complex and difficult issues and there are very respectable views on both sides.”
He cited the plight of those in the late stages of terminal illness, arguing that people should have the right to control their own life and death.
Mr Miliband added: “Obviously there have to be proper safeguards and I understand the concerns of some people on these issues, but my personal view will to be vote in favour of this Bill.”
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