BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg forced to cancel Boris Johnson interview after accidentally sending him notes

Your assist helps us to inform the story

Discover out extraShut

Our mission is to ship unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds energy to account and exposes the reality.

Whether or not $5 or $50, each contribution counts.

Help us to ship journalism with out an agenda.

The BBC has cancelled an interview with Boris Johnson after presenter Laura Kuenssberg by accident despatched the previous prime minister her briefing notes.

Ms Kuenssberg, presenter of the BBC’s flagship Sunday political interview present, mentioned she despatched Mr Johnson the notes “in a message meant for my crew”.

The BBC’s political editor between 2015 and 2022 mentioned it was “embarrassing and disappointing”, including the error meant it was “not proper for the interview to go forward”.

Writing on X/Twitter, she mentioned: “Whereas prepping to interview Boris Johnson tomorrow, by mistake I despatched our briefing notes to him in a message meant for my crew. That clearly means it’s not proper for the interview to go forward.

“It’s very irritating, and there’s no level pretending it’s something apart from embarrassing and disappointing, as there are many necessary inquiries to be requested. However purple faces apart, honesty is the perfect coverage. See you on Sunday.”

Mr Johnson, prime minister between 2019 to 2022, has an upcoming memoir, Unleashed, that will likely be revealed subsequent week.

Ms Kuenssberg beforehand investigated his authorities in Panorama episode Partygate: Contained in the Storm, and seemed again on the current Conservative years in a three-part BBC Two collection, Laura Kuenssberg: State of Chaos.

A BBC spokesperson mentioned: “Tomorrow’s interview with Boris Johnson received’t be going forward. As Laura has defined, interview briefing notes meant for colleagues have been inadvertently shared with him.

“This makes an interview tomorrow untenable. Beneath the circumstances, each the BBC and Mr Johnson’s crew have agreed that is one of the simplest ways ahead.”

Snippets of Mr Johnson’s new ebook – set to launch on 10 October – have already been shared, with the previous politician discussing Covid, the Queen, and his Conservative colleagues in parliament.

Within the ebook, he casts doubt on the effectiveness of Covid lockdowns, saying he’s “now not positive” that they have been crucial. Mr Johnson additionally reveals that he thought-about invading the Netherlands as PM to safe 5 million AstraZeneca vaccines he says have been “kidnapped” by the EU.

The previous prime minister additionally says that his successor Rishi Sunak took actions “worse than against the law” by ending his political profession. He compares himself to Julius Caesar, and Mr Sunak to the emperor’s murderer, Brutus.

The BBC has not but confirmed if their interview with Mr Johnson will likely be rescheduled, however it’s anticipated he’ll seem on different platforms amid his ebook launch.