THE GIRL FRIENDS OF BORIS AND JOHN

Congratulations to Boris. Not just on becoming Prime Minister but also sticking to an electioneering decision that has pleased this writer no end.

This is his unswerving refusal to go on BBC steam radio’s Today programme despite months of it running him down and regularly inviting him to come to the studio and defend himself.  Why should he?

One almost – but not quite –  feels sorry for John Humphrys who was salivating at the thought of cross examining him on his private life. Sorry, but sad at the continued demise of what was once the premier news and current affairs output of the BBC

It is the first time that a prospective Prime Minister has not been interviewed on BBC’s Radio 4 flagship during an election campaign . Think about that, Mr Humphrys.

The first time since January 1952  that a leading politician, after the top job, has quite deliberately refused to parade his wares and talk his talk on what was once one of the most prestigious radio shows, not just in the UK, but throughout the world.

Now, it is declining. It has become infamous for left wing bias but it is not just that. Any right wing politician worth their salt can deal with that. The greatest criticism of it, the greatest put off for once loyal listeners. are the continual interruptions by its interviewers of guests trying to answer a question.

Had Boris subjected himself to this he would have been bombarded by Humphreys about his private life and particularly his relationships with women, and almost certainly not given time to answer properly.

That would be the same Mr Humphrys who left his wife Edna, took up with Valerie Sanderson, ditched her for Catherine Bennett and is now thought to be in a relationship with Sarah Butler-Sloss.

Does that make him a bad man and unfit to be one of the most celebrated and highly paid hacks in the country? No. No more than it makes Boris the wrong man to govern the country because of a tiff with a girl friend which caused a neighbour from hell to call the cops and thus for a domestic dispute to hit the headlines.

Boris and his team weighed up the pros and cons of going on Today. They rationalised that they had quite a bit to lose but nothing to gain on this particular news platform  and so with those odds, why bother,

It is to be hoped that Humphrys and crew wake up and smell the early morning coffee and  recognise the significance of the fact that a man who is now Prime Minister refused to discuss his campaign on BBC’s Today radio programme and won his political battle.