Boris Johnson today signalled he is willing to sit down for a general election interview with Andrew Neil after a fiery showdown with the BBC’s Andrew Marr.
Mr Marr and Mr Johnson repeatedly talked over each other during their head-to-head this morning with the presenter eventually accusing the Prime Minister of ‘chuntering’.
Mr Johnson immediately hit back and slammed Mr Marr for ‘interrupting’ him.
The two men clashed throughout the interview with furious exchanges on issues like terror, the NHS and the Tories’ spending plans.
Mr Johnson had reportedly been banned by the BBC from appearing on the Andrew Marr Show until he agreed to be grilled by Mr Neil before December 12.
The BBC then backed down in the wake of the London Bridge terror attack and allowed the premier to appear without a firm commitment.
But Mr Johnson did suggest today that he could sit down with Mr Neil as he said he was happy to face questions from ‘any interviewer called Andrew from the BBC’.
However, it is thought that the two sides remain in discussions and no date has been agreed.
Andrew Marr and Boris Johnson engaged in repeated angry clashes over issues like terror, prisons, the NHS and social care during an interview this morning
Mr Johnson accused Mr Marr of repeatedly ‘interrupting’ him as he tried to set out the Tories’ spending plans
Mr Johnson, pictured leaving the BBC studios in London this morning, signalled he is willing to commit to an interview with Andrew Neil
Critics had attacked the BBC for allowing Mr Johnson on the Andrew Marr Show without a guarantee that he would subject himself to a face-to-face with Mr Neil.
Mr Neil is due to conduct interviews with all of the main party leaders before polling day but Mr Johnson had been dodging giving a commitment to appear.
Asked by Mr Marr if he will face Mr Neil, Mr Johnson replied: ‘He couldn’t have a more brilliant agent, if I may say so, than you.
‘I think what the people of this country want to know is what is our programme for government.’
Told that it would be ‘graceful and decent’ to commit to an interview given that all of his rivals had done so, Mr Johnson said: ‘I am perfectly happy to be interviewed by any interviewer called Andrew from the BBC.
‘I have done interviews, I did a two hour long phone in, I have done TV debates.’
Mr Johnson’s move towards being interviewed by Mr Neil came at the end of an ill-tempered grilling from Mr Marr.
The presenter appeared to be dissatisfied with the Prime Minister’s answers to numerous questions and the two men became increasingly combative as the interview progressed.
Things eventually came to a head when Mr Marr tried to ask Mr Johnson about his tax plans as the PM continued to answer a previous question.
Mr Marr snapped: ‘I am sorry, you just keep going on and on and on. You are chuntering. I need to ask you about the money.’
A furious Mr Johnson then hit back and said: ‘You are interrupting, if I may say so.
‘I think people might be quite interested in my answers as well as your questions but go on.’
Mr Johnson went on to insist the Tories’ ‘sums will add up’ and that his spending plans had been fully costed.
The PM said he wanted to draw Mr Marr’s attention to the differences between the Tories’ and Labour’s plans but the presenter told him: ‘No you can’t. You absolutely can’t.’
Mr Johnson tried to continue and said: ‘Our programme for government is to get this country…’
But Mr Marr interrupted him and said: ‘You are going into a speech. You are going into a speech. I am trying to avoid the speeches.’
A row over whether Mr Johnson would be willing to be interviewed by Mr Neil dominated the election campaign last week.
Mr Neil has interviewed Nicola Sturgeon and Jeremy Corbyn, with sit downs with Jo Swinson and Nigel Farage taking place this week.
The BBC’s decision to schedule the interview with Mr Marr even without a commitment from the PM for another interview was branded ‘wrong’ and ‘shameful’ by critics.
In a statement regarding the PM’s appearance this morning the corporation said: ‘As the national public service broadcaster, the BBC’s first priority must be its audience.
Andrew Neil is interviewing the leaders of the main political parties before the general election on December 12 but Mr Johnson is yet to commit to a date
‘In the wake of a major terrorist incident, we believe it is now in the public interest that the Prime Minister should be interviewed on our flagship Sunday political programme.
‘All parties’ election policy proposals must – and will – face detailed scrutiny from us and we continue to urge Boris Johnson to take part in the prime-time Andrew Neil interview as other leaders have done.’
Labour MP candidates accused the BBC of ‘abject surrender’ in allowing the Prime Minister to be interviewed by Mr Marr without first agreeing to an interview with Mr Neil.
The Tories are believed to be reluctant to agree to an interview with Mr Neil after Mr Corbyn’s car crash clash with the veteran presenter last week.
The Labour leader faced brutal questioning from Mr Neil on allegations of anti-Semitism within the Labour Party and he refused four times to apologise to the Jewish community.
Is Britain heading for ANOTHER hung parliament? Opinion polls tighten as Boris Johnson and the Tories’ lead over Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party narrows in the run up to December 12
The chances of the general election resulting in another hung parliament appear to have increased after Labour made gains on the Tories in numerous new opinion polls.
Boris Johnson has enjoyed consistent double digit leads over Jeremy Corbyn since the start of the election campaign.
But with polling day on December 12 now less than two weeks away the race for Number 10 appears to be tightening.
A new survey conducted by BMG Research gives the Tories a six point lead over Labour.
The Conservatives are down two points to 39 per cent in that poll – conducted between November 27-29 – when compared to a previous survey conducted on November 21.
But Labour is up five points to 33 per cent overall.
If such a result was replicated at the ballot box later this month it could mean no single party having an overall majority in the House of Commons.
The six point lead recorded by BMG Research is believed to be the narrowest yet seen during the campaign.
A new BMG Research poll gives the Tories a narrow six point lead over the Labour Party
But it is not the only poll to suggest that Labour is gaining ground on Mr Johnson.
A survey conducted by YouGov between November 28-29 puts the Tories on 43 points – the same rating as the company recorded on November 26.
But Mr Corbyn’s party is up two points to 34 per cent as the Tory lead shrunk to single figures.
A Savanta ComRes poll gives the Tories a 10 point lead with the Tories up two points to 43 per cent and Labour actually down slightly to 33 per cent.
A 10 point lead at this stage of the campaign will make Mr Johnson nervous about his prospects of winning a majority and he will be keen to regain the momentum the Tories had at the start of the race.
However, in a sign of how volatile the polling picture is a number of other polls have the Tories still in a commanding lead over Labour – even with Mr Corbyn increasing his share of the vote.
For example, a new DeltaPoll survey puts the Tories up two points to 45 per cent and Labour also up two points on 32 per cent – a lead of 13 points for Mr Johnson.
A separate survey conducted by Opinium puts the Tories in an even stronger position.
That poll, with fieldwork conducted between November 27-29 has the Tories down one point on 46 per cent.
Meanwhile, a YouGov survey puts the Tories on 43 per cent and Labour on 34 per cent – a lead of nine points
Meanwhile, Labour is up three points to 31 per cent – a lead for Mr Johnson of 15 points.
Despite the big lead for the Tories in the later polls the overall picture is encouraging for Mr Corbyn who appears to have kickstarted Labour’s campaign after a slow start.
However, with polling day now so close the Labour leader faces a race against time to overhaul Mr Johnson’s lead.
If the polls continue to tighten the likelihood of a hung parliament will continue to increase.
That would plunge British politics into fresh chaos because even if Mr Johnson emerges with the most MPs at the election he may not have the numbers in the Commons to get his Brexit deal agreed.
If that happens a second referendum on Brexit may be the only option remaining to break the prolonged stalemate over the UK’s departure from the European Union.