Earlier this month, the Foreign Secretary agreed to an interview with veteran political journalist Nick Robinson on BBC One, something Rishi Sunak, her rival to succeed Boris Johnson as Conservative leader, has already done. However, a BBC spokesman said Truss had canceled the interview. “Ms Truss’ team say she can no longer spare time to appear on Our Next Prime Minister,” they said. “We regret that it was not possible to conduct an in-depth interview with both candidates, despite the fact that we have agreed to do so.” In a tweet, Robinson said he was delighted Truss had agreed to the interview and was “disappointed and disappointed it was cancelled”. A source in Sunak’s campaign said their tally showed Truss had done just two broadcast interviews of any kind during the campaign, while Sunak had undertaken nine, including three spots on BBC Radio 4’s Today program and an appearance on This ITV’s Morning. The source said: “It is important that candidates face appropriate scrutiny so that members and the public know what they are offering. Avoiding this scrutiny suggests that either Truss has no plan at all or that the plan it does have falls far short of the challenges we face this winter.” Wendy Chamberlain, leader of the Liberal Democrats, said: “Liz Truss is running scared of the media and proper public scrutiny. How can he lead our country into an economic crisis when he can’t even handle a basic media interview? “She wants to follow in the footsteps of Margaret Thatcher, but she has fallen at the first hurdle. He strives for the highest office by answering the least number of difficult questions.” Labor also criticized Truss for backing down. Conor McGinn, the shadow minister without portfolio, said: “The British public have no say in choosing the next Tory prime minister and now it seems that Liz Truss wants to avoid any public scrutiny. “People will rightly conclude that she doesn’t want to answer questions about her plans for the country because she simply doesn’t have serious answers to the big challenges facing our country.” Truss’s scrutiny-avoiding tactics mirror those of Boris Johnson, who before the Conservatives’ victory in the December 2019 general election refused a BBC interview with Andrew Neil, a move which was contested by rivals including the then Labor leader , Jeremy Corbyn. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Truss has appeared at a number of Conservative Hustings events in the UK in recent weeks and faced some tough questions from the various hosts, though less so from the audience of party members. But longer interviews, in which a candidate may be repeatedly pressed for answers, are considered much more difficult. During a number of events, Truss criticized the media, specifically the BBC, accusing some outlets of trying to “blame our country” and of having a left-wing bias. Truss’s campaign has been contacted for comment.
