BBC tells Johnson he ‘can’t appear on Marr if he won’t do Neil’

The BBC has reportedly told Boris Johnson he will not be allowed to go on the Andrew Marr Show unless he agrees to face Andrew Neil too.

Johnson is said to be reluctant to be interviewed by Neil after his questioning of Jeremy Corbyn.

Johnson offered to appear on Marr’s programme, but the broadcaster turned him down because he would not submit himself to examination by Neil, the Daily Telegraph reported.

A BBC source told the Daily Telegraph:

He won’t be doing Marr until we have confirmed and announced a date for the Neil interview.

We can’t take a Sunday morning programme which is already balanced in its own right as being in mitigation against not doing Neil. Andrew Neil is our priority.

On 29 November, LBC radio’s Nick Ferrari asked Johnson if he would be interviewed by Neil, but he dodged the question.

Johnson replied: “What people really want to hear is, what are we doing to take the UK forward?”