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Piers Morgan has hit out at the broadcaster and branded the BBC “bottlers” as he accused them of “being played”. Boris Johnson is said to be reluctant to agree a date to be interviewed by Andrew Neil, following Jeremy Corbyn’s car crash interview this week. The Prime Minister had offered to appear on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show instead, however the broadcaster reportedly turned the offer down because he would not submit himself to examination by Mr Neil.
But, in a last minute u-turn the BBC have announced Mr Johnson will be interviewed by Mr Marr on tomorrow’s breakfast show.
The BBC said in a statement: “As the national public service broadcaster, the BBC’s first priority must be its audience. 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.”
A BBC source added: “We decided it wasn’t in the public interest to ban the Prime Minister from our airwaves after a terror attack.”
The decision has been branded “cowardly” and a “total cop out” on social media.
One Twitter user wrote: “No. This is unacceptable.
“You can’t subject one political leader to Andrew Neil and allow the other one to get away with Andrew Marr.
“You should have stuck to your guns and refused him any interview at all. So much for impartiality.”
Another person said: “I hope you realise how much you have ruined your reputation with the public this election.”
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One person said: “BBC bows down to Johnson using a terrorist attack to justify it, how predictable.”
Another user wrote: “Using the death of two people to justify giving Johnson a preferential platform during an election. It doesn’t get any lower than this.”
A third wrote: “That’s pretty low, using a terrorist event to justify complete capitulation.”
It comes after the Daily Telegraph revealed the BBC and the Tories were engaged in a bitter row over Mr Johnson’s right to appear on the show.
A BBC source said: “The PM isn’t booked on Marr this weekend.
“He won’t be doing Marr until we have confirmed and announced a date for the Neil interview.”
Another corporation source added: “We are very happy to have him [Mr Johnson] on Marr but he has got to confirm that he will take part in Neil first.
“We are perfectly fine with Conservative spokesmen on Marr, there is no problem with the balance of opinions on Marr.
“The issue for us is in peak-time where all other party leaders have done or have announced they will do Andrew Neil.
“We can’t take a Sunday morning programme which is already balanced in its own right as being in mitigation against not doing Neil…. Andrew Neil is our priority.
“That is our overriding, outstanding issue.”
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