'Embarrassing And Disappointing': BBC Cancels Primetime Boris Johnson Interview After Journalist Gaffe
The BBC cancelled a prime-time interview with former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson after one of its prominent presenters accidentally sent him the notes outlining her prepared questions. Laura Kuenssberg, the BBC's former political editor and now the host of its flagship Sunday morning news programme, said she mistakenly sent Johnson the notes "in a message meant for my team" and this meant the interview had to be cancelled."It's very frustrating, and there's no point pretending it's anything other than embarrassing and disappointing, as there are plenty of important questions to be asked," Kuenssberg said on X. "But red faces aside, honesty is the best policy." While prepping to interview Boris Johnson tomorrow, by mistake I sent our briefing notes to him in a message meant for my team. That obviously means it’s not right for the interview to go ahead. It’s very frustrating, and there’s no point pretending it’s anything other than…— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) October 2, 2024 As a publicly owned broadcaster, the BBC faces intense scrutiny over how it holds politicians accountable, with its leading political correspondents often being accused on social media of favoring one party over another.The interview was due to be broadcast on Thursday evening and had been advertised as Johnson's first major TV interview to promote his memoirs. Johnson was expected to discuss his government's handling of the COVID pandemic and the parties in Downing Street that contributed to the end of his premiership.Johnson, who was prime minister from 2019 to 2022, will have his memoir, Unleashed, published on October 10. A BBC spokesperson said the mistake made the interview "untenable" and that the broadcaster and Johnson's team had agreed to cancel it.(With inputs from Reuters)
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