There is a cold war atmosphere between Boris Johnson and the British media. In the run-up to the December 12 legislative elections, the British Prime Minister still refuses to pass on the grill of BBC journalist Andrew Neil, who gave Tuesday the hard line to Labor opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn, and Thursday, November 28, he had shunned the debate on climate organized on the Channel 4 public channel.
Ice blocks
The channel, funded solely by advertising, had invited leaders of major parties to this debate, but Boris Johnson, as well as Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage, declined the invitation. The chain replaced them with a block of ice, bearing the logo of their respective parties, which melted little by little, to illustrate the global warming. The Financial Times notes that Stanley Johnson, an EU and environmental activist and father of the Prime Minister, was present at the boycotted debate by his son.
These two ice sculptures – which represent the emergency on planet earth – will take the place of Boris Johnson and … https://t.co/cF7B6AANhT
The Conservative Party immediately complained to the British media regulator, Ofcom. In a letter, the Conservative Party denounces Channel 4's failure to fulfill its duty of impartiality and the rules of the campaign on the fairness of airtime. The Conservatives say they have proposed that former Environment Minister Michael Gove represent them in the debate, which was denied.
During the debate, the presenter, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, stressed that "The leaders of the biggest parties have all been invited" and "Five of them were there" The leaders of the Labor Party, the Scottish independence party SNP, the Liberal Democratic Party, the Welsh independence party Plaid Cymru and the Greens. He thanked "Michael Gove of the Conservative Party (Be) come here but unfortunately like (this had been) clearly explained from the beginning, this debate was reserved for the leaders (of parties)who were willing to debate only with other leaders. " The offer made "To Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage to come here to discuss the climate emergency remains open", he added.
Threats on Channel 4
Another indication of the Conservative Party's mistrust: it could review Channel 4's broadcast mandate if it wins the elections, report the site BuzzFeed and the Telegraph. The license of the channel – only funded by advertising – is valid until the end of 2024.
For his part, Nigel Farage justified his decision not to participate in the debate by explaining on Twitter that his party "Had no confidence that the debate was conducted in a fair and objective manner".
