Boris Johnson interview live: Ex-prime minister says he regrets apologising for Partygate in ITV grilling

Sky News political editor Beth Rigby says she has pulled out of an interview with former prime minister Boris Johnson at the Cheltenham Literature Festival after being told she could not make a recording or transcript of the talk.

Mr Johnson is doing press for his new book “Unleashed” and it comes after an interview with the BBC was dropped earlier in the week after presenter Laura Kuenssberg mistakenly sent him her briefing notes.

In a post on X, Ms Rigby said: “I was looking forward to interviewing Boris Johnson at Cheltenham, but regrettably I can’t go ahead with the event because I am not allowed make an audio recording or transcript of the interview.

“As a journalist in conversation with a former PM at a public event, I can only proceed if we do it on the record. I’m sorry to have to pull out.”

Sir Keir Starmer’s £22 billion carbon capture investment is being framed as a cornerstone of the UK’s green future, with promises of safeguarding jobs in industries like glassmaking.

But the prime minister faces a tough challenge in convincing a skeptical public and environmental critics that this technology is more than just a greenwash.

While carbon capture offers a solution for decarbonising energy-intensive industries without job losses, green activists are unconvinced.

A group of climate scientists recently warned energy secretary Ed Miliband that carbon capture is still largely unproven, particularly at the scale needed to make a real impact.

Timing adds another layer of complexity.

The government’s ambitious plans for Teesside and Merseyside won’t materialise until the next election, and with the 2050 net-zero targets looming, doubts remain whether this technology can deliver quickly enough.

Beyond the environmental angle, Sir Keir’s announcement suggests a possible shift in Labour’s fiscal approach.

With speculation mounting that chancellor Rachel Reeves could loosen borrowing rules for capital investment, Labour will need to prove that these big-ticket investments can deliver real benefits to struggling households.

Boris Johnson has criticised David Cameron’s handling of the aftermath of the Brexit vote, suggesting it was “not normal”for the former prime minister to “evacuate the stage” after the referendum.

The former Tory MP told ITV News: “What we expected and what I think, you know, everybody expected was that the Cameron government having called a referendum a ‘yes’, ‘no’ choice for the people – a leave, remain choice for the people – would bring forward a white paper.”

Mr Johnson also claimed he was shocked when Lord Cameron left Number 10, saying: “Because every other European leader when their whole referendum decides, you know, once the people have voted, decides what to do and stays in office.

“So, it’s not normal for the prime minister having asked for a referendum vote suddenly to evacuate the stage.”

The ex-Tory leader said he should not have apologised for the Partygate scandal, in an interview with ITV.

But he would not be drawn on his conversations with the former monarch.

Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:

Boris Johnson has said he regrets apologising for the so-called partygate scandal over lockdown-era gatherings in Downing Street.

The former prime minister claimed the move had “inadvertently validated the entire corpus” as accusations were also levelled at officials who were “working very hard”.

In his interview with ITV News, the former Tory MP and Daily Mail columnist said: “What I was trying to say there was, I think that the blanket apology – the sort of apology I issued right at the beginning – I think the trouble with it was that afterwards, all the accusations that then rained down on officials who’d been working very hard in Number 10 and elsewhere were thought to be true.

“And by apologising I had sort of inadvertently validated the entire corpus and it wasn’t fair on those people.”

Asked whether he regretted apologising to the late Queen, he said: “I don’t discuss my conversations with the Queen.”

The full interview will air at 7pm.

• End of Coal Era: The PM highlighted the significance of this week, marking the closure of the last coal-fired electricity plant. He said: “I know what we lost when we lost coal. But I also know how we can rewrite our story in the ink of the future.”

• Chancellor’s remarks: Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a substantial £21.7 billion investment for the projects, calling it a “massive opportunity” to attract further investment.

• ‘Historic shift’: Energy secretary Ed Miliband praised the end of coal-fired electricity as a “historic week for Britain’s energy system” and condemned the “dither and delay” of the Tories. 

• Future focus: Starmer concluded the speech by claiming that the UK is poised to compete globally in clean energy, adding: “We’re putting ourselves in the position not just to be in that global race, but to win that global race.”

First Minister John Swinney has not ruled out a snap election in Scotland if his budget fails to secure enough support to pass in Holyrood.

The SNP currently runs Scotland as a minority administration, needing just two votes from opposition MSPs to pass legislation.

But the Scottish Government’s budget this year – a draft of which will be published in December – is expected to require swingeing cuts to be made to public spending in response to financial pressures.

Appearing on the BBC’s Political Thinking podcast, the First Minister was asked if failing to pass his tax and spending plans would trigger a vote.

“It depends on the actions of other political parties,” he said.

The budget, he added, will be “sustainable” and will balance the books in Scotland.

The government is set to support the de-criminalisation of TV licence fee evasion, over concerns it disproportionately affects women.

Around 34,000 were prosecuted for wrongly not paying their TV licence last year, with many saying criminal punishment for not paying the £169.50 annual fee is too harsh.

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