The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Speculation of Fair City showdown for Hunt and Johnson
CONSERVATIVES: Untitled event set for Perth venue amidst race to Number 10
Speculation is mounting that prime ministerial hopefuls Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt will be in Perth next month for the only Scottish date on their hustings calendar.
The Conservative pair are set to be in Scotland on the evening of July 5 to answer questions from Tory Party members.
Perth has been strongly rumoured to be the setting of the head-to-head debate, with numerous reports pointing towards a Fair City forum.
A Conservative Party spokesperson refused to confirm or deny the hustings will be in Perth, saying final locations would be confirmed later this week.
The Courier has confirmed an as-yetuntitled event has been booked for Perth Concert Hall on the evening of July 5, with a provisional start time of 7pm.
Scottish folk singer Eddi Reader took to Twitter amid reports of a Perth appearance for Mr Johnson, calling for a demonstration against the former foreign secretary.
Meanwhile, Mr Johnson has again declined to discuss in detail the latenight quarrel at his home, saying it was “simply unfair” to “drag” his loved ones into the political arena.
The leadership frontrunner was involved in a spat in the early hours of Friday which saw police called by worried neighbours after his partner was heard screaming and shouting “get off me”.
Mr Johnson held out on making any statement about the row in his partner’s flat for three days, but finally answered questions in an exclusive with BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg.
Asked by Kuenssberg what happened that night, Mr Johnson said he did not want to “drag” his family and loved ones into the political arena.
He said: “I...would love to tell you about all sorts of things, Laura, but I’ve made it a rule over many, many years and I think you’ve interviewed me loads of times, I do not talk about stuff involving my family, my loved ones.
“And there’s a very good reason for that. That is that if you do, you drag them into things that really is, is, in a way that is not fair on them.”
The issue of a photograph of the couple that emerged at the weekend was raised, with Kuenssberg suggesting the former mayor of London could be “trying to have this both ways”.
Mr Johnson said: “I just do not go into this stuff”, and referred back to “innumerable statements I gave when I was mayor”.
He said: “Actually I think what people want to know is what is going on with this guy; does he, when it comes to trust, when it comes to character, all those things, does he deliver what he says he’s going to deliver?
“And that is the key thing.” Kuenssberg agreed trust was key and said “there are plenty of people even in the Conservative Party who worry that you do not stick to what you promise”.
Mr Johnson dismissed this, saying: “Well I think they’re talking absolute nonsense.
“When I was mayor, when I became mayor of London, when we said we would do something, we, I may say delivered not just X but X plus 10.”
I do not talk about stuff involving my family, my loved ones.
BORIS JOHNSON