Interview Cancelled: BBC Pulls Boris Johnson Special After Kuenssberg’s Briefing Blunder

BBC scraps planned Boris Johnson interview following Laura Kuenssberg's gaffe

The ex-prime minister was scheduled to discuss his latest memoir with Laura Kuenssberg in a widely promoted special broadcast set for Thursday night.

Thursday, October 3, 2024, 5:

The BBC has called off a scheduled interview with Boris Johnson following an incident where Laura Kuenssberg mistakenly shared her preparatory notes with the ex-prime minister.

Kuenssberg, the host of the broadcaster's Sunday political program, stated "it's futile to deny that it is anything but embarrassing and disappointing."

She disclosed that while gearing up for a Thursday interview with Mr. Johnson, she accidentally forwarded him the briefing notes intended for her team.

The scheduled interview, originally set to air on BBC One at 7:30 pm on Thursday, has been cancelled and will be substituted with an episode of EastEnders, according to the PA news agency. Furthermore, Garden Rescue will be broadcast at the same time on Friday, taking the slot of a previously planned rerun.

"Clearly, that indicates the interview should not proceed," Kuenssberg stated.

The ex-BBC political correspondent expressed frustration, noting that there are "many significant questions that need addressing."

"Despite the embarrassment, she emphasized that being honest is always the best approach," she added.

Tune into Sky News for ongoing interviews with Boris Johnson this Tuesday, October 8.

The BBC had been extensively advertising its interview with Mr. Johnson for the last two weeks.

The initial interview was scheduled to kick off a series of media appearances for the ex-prime minister to promote his newly published book "Unleashed," available from October 10.

The press team at the BBC stated that distributing the notes to Mr. Johnson renders an interview with him "impossible."

A representative stated: "Given the situation, it has been mutually decided by both the BBC and Mr. Johnson's team that this is the appropriate course of action."

Mr. Johnson's publishing team has stated that the book will provide essential cultural and political insights that are sure to spark conversations across the country.

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Next week, Sky News is set to broadcast a conversation with Mr. Johnson, conducted by host Wilfred Frost.

Selections from the book were made public in newspapers, where Mr. Johnson expresses doubts about the effectiveness of the lockdown measures he enforced in curbing COVID.

He further admitted to contemplating the approval of an operation to storm a warehouse in the Netherlands to recover COVID vaccines, acknowledging that the idea was "crazy."

Read further: Starmer reimburses £6,000 in gifts; local authorities alert of a £54 billion deficit.

The former Conservative leader has charged Rishi Sunak with effectively ending Boris Johnson’s political life, likening it to Brutus’ betrayal of Julius Caesar.

Mr. Johnson mentioned that he once regarded Mr. Sunak as a "comrade and ally."

In the passages, Mr. Johnson also stated that Buckingham Palace requested him to convince the Duke of Sussex to remain in the UK, and consented to giving him a "stern pep talk."

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