The BBC had to cancel a highly anticipated prime-time interview with former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson after one of the network’s most prominent presenters made an “embarrassing” mistake.
According to a report from Reuters, Laura Kuenssberg, who previously served as the BBC’s political editor and now hosts its flagship Sunday morning news programme, mistakingly sent the notes she had prepared for her questions to Johnson.
Kuenssberg, while admitting her crime said, “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.”
She added, “But red faces aside, honesty is the best policy.”
As a publicly funded broadcaster, the BBC faces intense scrutiny regarding its approach to holding politicians accountable. Its leading political correspondents are frequently accused on social media of exhibiting bias towards one party or another.
The interview, which was scheduled to air on Thursday evening, had been promoted as Johnson’s first significant TV appearance to discuss his upcoming memoirs.
It was anticipated that Johnson would address his government’s response to the Covid pandemic and the controversial parties held at Downing Street, which played a role in his eventual resignation as prime minister.
Johnson, who served as prime minister from 2019 to 2022, is set to release his memoir, titled Unleashed, on October 10. A spokesperson for the BBC said that the mistake rendered the interview “untenable” and that the broadcaster and Johnson’s team had mutually agreed to cancel it.
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