BBC breaks silence after Laura Kuenssberg's major Boris Johnson interview blunder
Johnson is currently taking part in media interviews to promote his new memoir, which has also been recently serialised in a newspaper.
BBC presenter Laura Kuenssberg's scheduled interview with Boris Johnson is “untenable” after she accidentally sent the former prime minister her briefing notes, the BBC has said.
Boris Johnson: The Laura Kuenssberg Interview was due to be broadcast tonight on BBC One.
In a statement, the BBC said: "The interview with Boris Johnson won’t be going ahead.
"Interview briefing notes meant for colleagues were inadvertently shared with him. This makes an interview tomorrow untenable.
"Under the circumstances, both the BBC and Mr Johnson’s team have agreed this is the best way forward."
The BBC's former political editor said it was "not right for the interview to go ahead" after sharing notes with him which had been intended for her colleagues.
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Ms Kuenssberg described it as "embarrassing and disappointing” but that "red faces aside, honesty is the best policy".
The BBC said it had agreed with Mr Johnson's team that cancelling the interview was "the best way forward".
Ms Kuenssberg, presenter of the BBC’s flagship Sunday political interview show, said she sent Mr Johnson the notes “in a message meant for my team”.
Mr Johnson, Prime Minister from 2019 to 2022, has an upcoming memoir, Unleashed, that will be published next week.
Ms Kuenssberg previously investigated his government in Panorama – Partygate: Inside the Storm, and looked back at the recent Conservative years in a three-part BBC Two series, Laura Kuenssberg: State of Chaos.
In a post on X last night, Ms Kuenssberg wrote: “While prepping to interview Boris Johnson tomorrow, by mistake I sent our briefing notes to him in a message meant for my team.
“That obviously means it’s not right for the interview to go ahead.
“It’s very frustrating, and there’s no point pretending it’s anything other than embarrassing and disappointing, as there are plenty of important questions to be asked.
“But red faces aside, honesty is the best policy. See you on Sunday.”
Presenters usually work with a team of researchers to prepare a brief ahead of a major interview.
The process usually includes gathering biographical material about the subject, highlighting controversies, and coming up with suggested lines of questioning.
A spokesman for Mr Johnson declined to comment.
