Due to the fact that presenter Laura Kuenssberg unintentionally sent the former prime minister her briefing papers, the BBC has decided to cancel an interview that was scheduled to take place during prime time with Boris Johnson.
Kuenssberg is quoted as saying that she communicated the notes to Johnson “in a message meant for my team.” The former political editor at the BBC described the situation as “embarrassing and disappointing,” in addition to stating that the error meant that it was “not right for the interview to go ahead.”
Johnson’s first major interview since leaving office was scheduled to air on BBC One at 7.30 p.m. on Thursday, and it was being promoted as the first interview of its kind. He was anticipated to talk about Brexit, the way in which his government dealt with the COVID epidemic, and the controversy that was known as Partygate.
A number of other podcasters and broadcasters have expressed their willingness to conduct the interview in place of Kuenssberg, in response to calls for the BBC to employ a different journalist. Adam Boulton, who had previously worked as the political editor for Sky; Alastair Campbell, who had previously worked as Tony Blair’s director of communications; and Cathy Newman and Krishnan Guru-Murthy, who were both presenters on Channel 4 News, were among the individuals who volunteered to work on X to conduct the interview.
Additionally, Sunder Katwala, the director of the think group British Future, encouraged the BBC to find a replacement to conduct the interview when it was scheduled to take place. During an appearance on X, he posed the question, “Shouldn’t the BBC just get somebody else to do the interview on Friday or next week?”
Johnson’s memoir, titled “Unleashed,” is scheduled to be released the following week. Johnson served as prime minister from 2019 until 2022.
In a previous edition of Panorama titled “Partygate: Inside the Storm,” Kuenssberg conducted an investigation into his government. Additionally, in a three-part documentary on BBC Two titled “Laura Kuenssberg: State of Chaos,” she examined the recent years that the Conservative Party has been in power.
Kuenssberg posted the following in a post that he published on X on Wednesday evening: “While I was getting ready to interview Boris Johnson tomorrow, I accidentally sent our briefing notes to him in a message that was specifically intended for my team.” Given this information, it is very clear that the interview should not be conducted.
It’s incredibly aggravating, and there’s no use in pretending that it’s anything other than embarrassing and upsetting, because there are a lot of crucial issues that need to be raised. On the other hand, honesty is the best policy, with red faces aside. Let’s catch up on Sunday.
According to reports, a representative for the BBC stated that the interview was rendered “untenable” as a result of the accidental relocation and that both the BBC and Johnson’s team had already agreed to cancel the interview.