Political journalists walk out in protest after Government bans publications from No 10 briefings Number 10: ‘We are welcome to brief whoever we want’

Senior political journalists walked out of Downing Street in protest over its decision to ban selected reporters from a briefing on Brexit.

The row blew up after about 15 political editors went through Downing Street security and were waiting in the Number 10 lobby for a session with civil servants on Boris Johnson’s approach to trade talks with the European Union.

But then a security official read out a list of correspondents who were entitled to attend the “technical briefing” – and told the others to leave the building.

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Those who were on an invited list were asked to stand on one side of the Downing Street foyer – while others, including i, were told to leave.

Taxpayers’ expense

As an argument developed, Lee Cain, the Prime Minister’s director of communications, insisted that only selected journalists would be admitted to the briefing.

Put to him that it was being carried at taxpayers’ expense by civil servants on the public payroll, he replied: “We are welcome to brief whoever we want.”

When he refused to give ground, all the political correspondents present, including representatives of the BBC, ITV News, Sky News, Channel 4, the Daily Mail, Telegraph, the Sun, Financial Times and Guardian, walked out of the building.

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Banned publications

Other publications banned from the briefing included the Independent, the Mirror, Evening Standard and HuffPost UK.

No invitations had been sent to major wire organisations such as the Press Association, Reuters and Bloomberg.

The storm follows previous episodes where the Johnson administration has attempted to stage selective briefings to publications deemed to be sympathetic.

There has also been controversy over a Downing Street decision to move all daily briefings from the Commons to Number 10.