Boris Johnson’s Tory leadership campaign will be forced into the open on Tuesday with a slew of stage-managed appearances, amid mounting criticism that the frontrunner has been dodging public scrutiny by avoiding TV debates and questions on his private life.
Multiple Conservative party sources have told the Guardian that Johnson’s campaign team had attempted to downgrade media access to party hustings and he was called a “bottler” for refusing to attend a Sky News debate this week by someone close to the campaign for his rival, Jeremy Hunt.
Sources close to Johnson said he was preparing a “media blitz” in the coming days, beginning with five closely controlled events on Tuesday, in an attempt to show their candidate is not in hiding following a late-night altercation with his partner that prompted neighbours to call the police.
Sky News has said it will cancel the planned debate on Tuesday unless Johnson agrees to take part. “Sky News has been planning to hold a debate tomorrow between the two remaining candidates in the Conservative leadership election. Jeremy Hunt has agreed to take part but Boris Johnson has so far declined the invitation,” a spokesman said.
“We stand ready to host a debate tomorrow evening if both candidates make themselves available. Without both candidates, tomorrow’s debate will not take place. But we will reissue our invitation for Mr Hunt and Mr Johnson to debate live on Sky News next Monday, 1 July.”
Personal style
A late-night altercation between Tory leadership favourite, Boris Johnson, and his partner, Carrie Symonds have changed the dynamics of Johnson’s campaign. He had been either invisible or deliberately sober to the point of dullness, when his usual primary draw to Tory members is a self-created sense of optimism and fun. Much is also made of his supposed broad appeal to the electorate, evidenced by two terms as London mayor.
In most political contests, Johnson’s character – he has lost more than one job for lying, and has a complex and opaque personal life – would be a big issue, but among the Tory faithful he seemingly receives a free pass. It remains to be seen what impact that late-night police visit will have on his chances.
Brexit
He has promised to push for a new deal while insisting the UK will leave the EU come what may on 31 October, even if it involves no deal. While his hard Brexit supporters are adamant this is a cast-iron guarantee of leaving on that date, elsewhere Johnson has been somewhat less definitive. Asked about the date in a BBC TV debate, Johnson said only that it was ’eminently feasible’.
Taxation
His main pledge has been to raise the threshold for the 40% higher tax rate from £50,000 to £80,000, at a cost of almost £10bn a year, which would help about 3 million higher earners, a demographic with a fairly sizeable crossover into Tory members. Johnson’s camp insist it would be part of a wider – and so far unknown – package of tax changes.
Public spending
He has said relatively little, beyond promising a fairly small increase in schools funding, as well as talking about the need to roll out fast broadband across the country. Johnson has generally hinted he would loosen the purse strings, but given his prior fondness for big-ticket projects – London’s cancelled garden bridge, the mooted ‘Boris island’ airport – perhaps expect more of a focus on infrastructure projects than services.
Climate and environment
This is unlikely to be a big issue for Conservative party members, and Johnson has not said much on this beyond confirming his general support for the new government target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions to a net zero by 2050.
Foreign policy
Also unlikely to be a big issue among Tory members, beyond vague platitudes on ‘global Britain’, it could be a weak spot for Johnson given his poor performance as foreign secretary. He was seen as something of a joke by diplomats – both UK and foreign – and is likely to face more questioning over his gaffe about the jailed British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
Peter Walker Political correspondent
It is understood Johnson declined to take part in Sky’s debate because of terms agreed for an ITV debate next week, which the broadcaster has asked be the first head-to-head debate.
However, Hunt’s camp pointed out that Johnson has declined all TV debates until Conservative members have already begun returning their ballot papers.
“Bottler Boris and his complacent campaign have shown they can’t trust their candidate to turn up and perform,” a source close to Hunt’s campaign said.
A source in Johnson’s team rebuffed claims it would be taking place after Tory members had voted, calling it “prime voting time” for when members would be sending back their postal ballots.
Four party sources said Johnson’s campaign team raised concerns about the extent of media access to the 16 Conservative hustings at a meeting on Friday, but Brandon Lewis, the party chairman, insisted that there must be a livestream of each event.
The Guardian spoke to two sources present at the meeting who said objections had been raised by James Wharton, Johnson’s campaign manager, about the media access to the hustings, including questioning why a pool camera had been invited to film proceedings.
However, Johnson’s team said they did not make any such demands, insisting all organisational aspects were a matter for Conservative campaign headquarters. A source close to Johnson said there was “no objection from us about allowing media into the hustings – and of course they are invited to all”. Wharton declined to comment.
Another Conservative source said that Johnson’s campaign had objected to the media access arrangements for the hustings, but Lewis had insisted at the meeting that the hustings must be allowed to be broadcast and covered properly by the press.
MP Marcus Fysh, one of Johnson’s supporters, said Hunt’s criticism was ridiculous: “He is certainly not a coward, as was said by his opponent today in a very negative way.”
Hunt also joined calls for Johnson to explain why police were called to his home in the early hours of Friday after an argument with his partner, saying his rival “needs to show he can answer difficult questions”.
The intervention by the foreign secretary followed cabinet ministers, backbenchers and a major party donor in demanding Johnson speak out about the loud, late-night altercation with Carrie Symonds, which was heard by several neighbours.
Police attended the property but left after receiving reassurances from both the individuals in the flat that they were safe.
John Griffin, the taxi tycoon who has given £4m to the Tories over the last six years, expressed concerns about the morality of the favourite to become prime minister.
“We deserve an explanation about that row, and he has to handle it properly. He can’t assume that we are going to support him when he has not explained every detail,” he told the Guardian.
Griffin, a Brexiter and founder of Addison Lee, expressed concerns about Johnson’s morality and said he should also come clean about his previous behaviour, including his responsibilities to his children.
Johnson has four children by his former wife, Marina Wheeler, and a child with a woman with whom he had an affair. However, he has been dogged by unproven claims that he has at least one more child. Johnson has refused to comment.
“Each of his children need his love and attention. But he needs to show that he has given it to them. He cannot say that it is irrelevant. It is highly relevant. It is one of the ways you measure a person,” Griffin said.
Griffin also called for Johnson to address allegations that he had had extramarital affairs and had treated women in those relationships badly.
“We need to know if he can be trusted because he will get even more attention from women if he becomes PM. I would be concerned if he went marauding around, taking advantage of women by using his position. It would not be right at all,” he said.
In a tweet on Monday, Hunt said: “This contest isn’t about personal lives but if you want to lead this country you have to show up and answer questions on your plans for Britain.”
Hunt has made a raft of media appearances and spent Monday visiting businesses in the West Country.
