BULLYING BORIS BID FOR BREXIT BAN ON MIRROR
Journos’ united walkout as No10 censors briefing
JOURNALISTS walked out of No10 yesterday after the Government banned the Mirror from a briefing about Brexit.
Laura Kuenssberg from the BBC, Robert Peston from ITV and Beth Rigby from Sky News were among those who left in protest.
Reporters from organisations including the Financial Times, the Guardian and the Telegraph were invited to hear from David Frost, Boris Johnson’s Europe adviser, on the PM’s post-Brexit trade plans.
Political editors from other publications including the Mirror also turned up at No10. But Lee Cain, the PM’s head of communications arrived and said: “Those who are invited to the briefing can stay, everyone else will have to leave.”
After journalists pointed out that briefings with civil servants had always been open to all media outlets, he replied: “We’re welcome to brief whoever we like, whenever we like.”
Every political editor inside then walked out of the famous black door in protest.
A No10 insider
claimed the uninvited journalists “barged in”, but the area is protected by several layers of security – including armed police.
Shadow Culture Secretary Tracy Brabin MP raised a point of order in the Commons about the “concerning” exclusion. She said: “Boris Johnson seems to be resorting to tactics imported from Donald Trump.”
Mr Johnson later made a major speech in which he said Britain would be “governed by science” about US food standards in a trade deal.
He also said there was “no need” for the UK to commit to following the “full panoply” of EU regulations.
■ Nissan has denied reports it could ramp-up production in Sunderland rather than close its plant there in the event of tariffs after a hard Brexit.
Mr Johnson seems to be resorting to tactics imported from Trump TRACY BRABIN SHADOW CULTURE SECRETARY
BORIS Johnson’s Tory regime deciding which media organisations are given public information is tin-pot tyranny.
The solidarity displayed by rival newspapers, broadcasters and websites against a No10 attempt to ban the Daily Mirror and other organisations shows the importance of defending fair access to news.
Downing Street must never be allowed to dictate what you read, hear and see, or democracy is undermined. A state-approved media is the tool of despots the world over.
The Prime Minister, a former journalist, must immediately end the censorship imposed by his hirelings.