Tory leadership race: Hunt goads Johnson for missing debate, after frontrunner renews 31 October Brexit pledge
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Jeremy Hunt has goaded Boris Johnson for pulling out of a television debate as the Tory leadership candidates hit the campaign trail hard.
Meanwhile, Mr Hunt said he would instead hold a question-and-answer session on Twitter.
Earlier, Mr Johnson again declined to discuss in detail a late-night quarrel at his home, saying it was “simply unfair” to “drag” his loved ones into the political arena in an interview with the BBC.
After Mr Hunt accused him of ducking public scrutiny, Mr Johnson has a flurry of broadcast interviews and visits in the south east planned for Tuesday.
A spokesman from his camp claimed: “We’re definitely stepping it up.”
Biggest lies told by Boris Johnson
Show all 5After days avoiding journalists’ questions, the former foreign secretary sought to get his campaign back on track, declaring he would deliver Brexit by the Halloween deadline “do or die”.
Mr Hunt, meanwhile, hit back at his rival, dismissing 31 October as a “fake deadline” which would more likely result in a general election which could hand the keys of No 10 to Jeremy Corbyn.
The foreign secretary suggested Mr Johnson would be unable to win the trust of other EU leaders to successfully negotiate a new Brexit deal with Brussels.
In a letter to his rival, Mr Johnson said the “central question” in the leadership contest was the issue of whether the next prime minister would commit to leaving the EU by 31 October.
“If we fail to deliver once again, the consequences for our party and our country will be devastating,” he said. “We must not kick the can down the road again. The British people have had enough of being left in limbo.”
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Mr Johnson - pressed on whether he is a "coward" - says he will never speak ill of a fellow conservative, after Jeremy Hunt issued the attack on the frontrunner for not appearing in tonight's Sky News debate.
"I'm doing 16 hustings, I've already done several. I'm doing several TV debates - we're doing something for ITV. All of which we're looking forward to massively," he says.
Asked about his "private life" being of interest to journalists, he says of course and accepts that. "Newspaper and other outlets are going to want to speculate," he says.
Pressed on whether the image of the himself and his partner came from, he continues to avoid the question. "I can't determine what the newspapers decide to print.
"There are all sorts of pictures of me on the internet that pop up from time to time."
"Of course I knew there was a picture like that in existence."
He says he had a very nice haircut by someone called either "Kelly" or "Tamara". The sort of attention to detail needed in the Brexit negotiations.
On police numbers, he says the home secretary Sajid Javid believes there should be an extra 20,000 officers on the street.
Johnson says this is correct, and he wants to find the money to fund this pledge. "We'd want to get more police out on the streets," but refuses to engage in any timeframe.
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Boris Johnson has refused to deny that a photo of him apparently making up with his girlfriend Carrie Symonds was staged.
The Tory leadership favourite blocked multiple questions about whether he knew how the snap, of the pair in the Sussex countryside, ended up in newspapers.
Johnson says we need "creative ambiguity" about the £39bn divorce bill, and how much will be paid.
He says the UK will not impose border checks in Northern Ireland, and claims there are other techniques you can use.
Asked whether he can see the EU buying this, he replies: "Yes".
Johnson says it is time the country stop being so "down about its ability" to get Brexit done, and "not to continue with the same failed approach."
He warned the Tories would "continue to haemorrhage voters" if the UK did not leave the EU.
He claimed that "politics has totally changed" since March 29 and "we are staring down the barrel of defeat".
He told LBC: "People are looking at this thing and thinking 'Parliament is just not going to do this'.
"But, actually, I think they are."
On his live LBC call in, Boris Johnson is asked about "spaffing" £40-odd million while London mayor on the Garden Bridge.
But Johnson claims it was an excellent project, and cancelled by his successor Sadiq Khan. He says there was ample private funding for it to have proceeded.
On Nazanin Zagarhi-Ratcliffe, he says the more we blame ourselves (or him) it easier for the Iranians to keep her captive in such an inhumane way.
Boris Johnson agrees with the LGBT+ lessons in schools across the UK, saying: "I do think it's important kids are taught as the world as it is - so my answer to you is yes."
He adds his stands by the pledge on the side of the EU referendum bus to bring back £350m a year to the UK - a claim that has been widely discredited.
On suggestions of links between himself and the far-right former adviser to Donald Trump, Mr Johnson says it's the "biggest load of codswallop"
"I met Mr Bannon in the White House when he was chief of staff to the president... he text me on a couple of occasions trying to fix a meeting - that was not possible, I was otherwise occupied.
"This is turned... into some crazy alt-right conspiracy," he claims.
Asked what the was the biggest mistake, either the Garden Bridge or the unused water cannons, he says he is deeply proud of his record as London mayor.
Boris Johnson’s constituents have said he should “face the music” and take part in a live TV debate so the public can hear what he has to say if he wants to become prime minister.
The Tory leadership frontrunner was branded a “bottler” and a “coward” by opponent Jeremy Hunt for refusing to face scrutiny after Sky News was forced to cancel a debate between the pair.
The former foreign secretary has faced mounting pressure to answer questions about the police being called to the Camberwell home he shares with girlfriend Carrie Symonds after a loud late-night altercation.
Frontrunner in the Tory leadership contest Boris Johnson is about to do another interview this morning with TalkRADIO. We'll bring you any of the top lines.
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