London [UK]: Former British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on Friday insisted that his refusal to not partake in a debate with leadership rival Jeremy Hunt is not an attempt to avoid scrutiny.
Johnson and Hunt appeared together at a hustings event in Exeter organised for Tory members exclusively but were questioned individually, Sputnik reported.
One questioner directed a question to Johnson asking if his reluctance to debate his leadership fellow contender meant he was scared of serious perusal by the opposition and from the public.
Johnson dismissed the idea saying that the only effect a debate would have would to bring harm to the Conservative Party.
“One of the important things as Conservatives is not to spend too much time tearing great lumps out of each other in advance of the end of the contest. My policies and so on have received a huge amount of scrutiny,” he said.
“I’m doing at least two head-to-head debates, which I think is probably more than enough to glut the appetite of the electorate. I’ve done loads of debate in my time, loads and loads,” he added.
Meanwhile, Hunt responded by promising not to attack Johnson’s “personal issues” and “stick to the issues being faced by the country.”
He, however, stood by his decision to label his opponent a “coward” for not agreeing to the debate.
Johnson’s remark comes as Tom Newton Dunn told BBC’s Question Time on Thursday that the private affairs of London’s former mayor should be open for public scrutiny.
The Twitterati reacted to Johnson’s rejection saying that he was hiding from scrutiny.
Some even invoked the duty of the prime ministership to public inspection and proposed a petition demanding Johnson’s participation.
While the others called into question the hypocrisy of how those who recorded an apparent altercation between Johnson and his girlfriend are being treated in the media as opposed to Johnson himself.
Quoting a neighbour of Johnson, The Guardian Newspaper on June 22 had reported that the police was called in response to loud screaming and banging by Johnson and his girlfriend, Carrie Symonds, a former head of communications for the Conservative Party.
The neighbour, whom The Guardian did not identify, said Symonds could be heard telling Johnson to “get off me” and “get out of my flat.” The neighbour then knocked on the door of the apartment and called the police when there was no response.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]