Boris: I will sign up for BBC debate

He backs down after Hunt jibe – but snubs C4

BORIS Johnson yesterday agreed to appear in a televised Conservative leadership debate after he was accused of ‘hiding away’.

The frontrunner to be next prime minister signed up to Tuesday’s BBC debate between those candidates still in the race after the next round of voting.

But he refused to appear on Channel 4’s six-way programme on Sunday night, warning against a ‘cacophonous… blue on blue’ debate with ‘loads of candidates’.

Channel 4 has threatened to ‘empty chair’ Mr Johnson and leave a lectern with his name on it on the studio floor.

Before the announcement, rival contender Jeremy Hunt urged Mr Johnson to be ‘a little bit braver’ and accused him of not being Churchillian by refusing to appear in public to be questioned. The Foreign Secretary told the BBC: ‘We can only have that debate if our frontrunner in this campaign is a little bit braver in terms of getting out into the media and actually engaging in the TV debates.

‘What would Churchill say if someone who wants to be prime minister of the United Kingdom is hiding away from the media, not taking part in these big occasions?’

He also pointed out that he had appeared on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme 16 times this year, while Johnson had appeared only once.

And he warned against the contest becoming a ‘coronation without a huge amount of scrutiny’, as in 2016 when Theresa May became leader without a vote by members.

Later, Mr Johnson appeared on the BBC’s World at One programme for his first broadcast interview since launching his leadership campaign.

He announced that he would join the BBC debate but not the one on Channel 4. On Tuesday at least one but possibly two other candidates are likely to be eliminated, leaving a four-way debate.

‘I think it is important that we have a sensible grown-up debate,’ he said.

‘My own observation is that in the past when you’ve had loads of candidates, it can be slightly cacophonous and I think the public have had quite a lot of blue on blue action frankly over the last three years.’

His allies said Channel 4 had refused to supply details of the audience selection and suggested the format of the programme was ‘unclear’.

Britain’s Next PM: The C4 Debate at 6.30pm on Sunday will be moderated by Krishnan Guru-Murthy. It will feature floating voters putting questions to the candidates.

All the other leadership contenders signed a letter calling for Mr Johnson to take part in the programme and yesterday they repeated that demand.

Last night it emerged that Mr Johnson was refusing to face questions from political journalists at an event on Monday. The other candidates have all agreed to appear at the hustings, organised by the Parliamentary Lobby.

‘Hiding away from the media’