Boris Johnson hustings: Flustered would-be PM laughs off Tory takedown threat after dodging questions on police incident
Follow how the day unfolded
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Your support makes all the difference.Tory leadership frontrunner Boris Johnson repeatedly refused to answer questions about police being called to his flat as he took part in the first run-off hustings to become the next prime minister.
Police officers were alerted early on Friday to an incident at the home Mr Johnson shares with partner Carrie Symonds, after neighbours said there had been a loud altercation involving screaming, shouting and banging.
Pressed on the incident as he faced an audience of Tory members in Birmingham, Mr Johnson said: “I don’t think they want to hear about that kind of thing.”
When asked by hustings moderator Iain Dale whether a person’s private life has any bearing on someone’s ability to discharge the office of prime minister, the crowd booed and Mr Johnson said: “Don’t boo the great man.”
Mr Johnson added: “I’ve tried to give my answer pretty exhaustively.
“I think what people want to know is whether I have the determination and the courage to deliver on the commitments that I’m making, and it will need a lot of grit right now.
“People are entitled to ask about me and my determination, my character and what I want to do for the country.”
Mr Johnson was taking part in the leadership event with foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt as the two men battle to win the support of 160,000 Tory party members who will choose the next prime minister.
Mr Hunt warned “catastrophe awaits” if the wrong person if sent to Brussels to negotiate Brexit. He said: “If we send the wrong person there’s going to be no negotiation, no trust, no deal, and if Parliament stops that, maybe no Brexit.
“Send the right person and there’s a deal to be done. Send that right person and we can do what we all need to do, which is come back with something positive for our country. And that’s what I want to do.”
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Johnson, having finished his speech, is now speaking to Iain Dale – who has asked him about the domestic row and challenged the candidate to answer a question about the police being called to his home.
Dale says: “If the police are called to your home it’s everybody’s business.”
“That’s a fair point,” says Johnson. But he fails to address the matter directly.
Johnson refuses to answer the question again, prompting another go from Dale. Johnson says people want to know about his “ambitions” and his “character”.
Dale has another go. The crowd boos.
The frontrunner wasn’t too happy about being asked about the domestic row. More details:
Boris Johnson rambled his way through that awkward exchange with Iain Dale. Refusing to answer questions about police being called to his flat, he said: “I don’t think they want to hear about that kind of thing.”
“Just answer it - it’s a very simple question” Dale said.
Responding to the boos from the audience, the host said: “When he answers this question I will move on.”
Time for questions from the audience. The first is on knife crime, which Johnson calls “appalling”. He claims he reduced knife crime in the capital when he was Mayor of London. He wants to increase police numbers.
Next question is about Brexit and business. A Tory member recalls some of Johnson's previous dismissive comments, reminding him he once said, “F**k business.” Sky News has apologised for the bad language. Johnson seems flustered by the question.
Johnson complains about his sweary remarks to a diplomat being “wrenched out of context”.
Johnson is now talking about gangs and drugs and his desire to “round up the ringleaders”. He says middle-class use by kids is helping to encourage the dissemination of these drugs … and that is an absolute tragedy.”
“I think drugs are bad,” he says.
Johnson is answering a question about attracting more ethnic minorities to the party.
He says the party has “changed out of all recognition … We can be proud of those changes, but they haven’t gone far enough”.
He says Conservative members should be talking to people at mosques.
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