The BBC has canceled a planned interview with Boris Johnson after presenter Laura Kuenssberg accidentally sent the former UK prime minister her briefing notes.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kuenssberg said the error was “embarrassing and disappointing” after she had intended to share the document with colleagues.
Boris Johnson: The Laura Kuenssberg Interview was due to broadcast on Thursday at 7.30pm, but will now be replaced in the BBC1 schedule.
“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,” Kuenssberg 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. But red faces aside, honesty is the best policy.”
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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…
— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) October 2, 2024
Kuenssberg is one of the BBC’s most experienced journalists, having spent seven years as the broadcaster’s political editor. She now fronts Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.
A spokesperson for BBC News said: “Tomorrow’s interview with Boris Johnson won’t be going ahead. As Laura has explained, 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.”
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