A Conservative MP who blamed high taxes for his party’s by-election defeat has claimed the BBC cancelled an interview with him after “hearing what I might say”.
John Redwood hit out at the corporation after Radio 4’s Today programme rescheduled his appearance on Friday morning to discuss the crushing result.
The Lib Dems overturned a Tory majority of almost 23,000 to win the North Shropshire seat on Thursday, a former blue stronghold of Owen Paterson, who resigned in a lobbying row.
Several of Boris Johnson’s senior backbenchers rounded on him across the airwaves, with one even warning the Prime Minister: “One more strike and you’re out.”
But Mr Redwood, who has been the veteran MP for Wokingham, Berkshire, since 1983, directed anger elsewhere, tweeting: “BBC up to usual tricks. Invited me on for a live on Today at 7.10. I agreed.
“After hearing what I might say, they cancelled and are talking about a pre-record later! No surprise there.”
Fellow Tory MP criticises ‘slur’
Mr Redwood did appear on the Today programme an hour later than billed, at around 8.10am, when he said Lib Dem Helen Morgan’s victory signalled “a longer-term worry about the direction of the Government and a strong urging of the Government to do better”.
