Boris Johnson broke cover on Monday night, vowing he would never reveal the events that led to the police being called to the home of his partner Carrie Symonds last week, after neighbours reported a loud row between the couple.

Amid mounting criticism that the frontrunner in the Conservative leadership campaign has been dodging public scrutiny, Johnson is now understood to be rolling out a “media blitz” for the coming days, beginning with five closely controlled events on Tuesday, in an attempt to defy accusations that he is in hiding.

Speaking to the BBC’s political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, in his first televised interview since his campaign kicked off more than four weeks ago, a defiant Johnson said it would be “unfair” on his family to comment on his private life.

“I do not talk about stuff involving my family, my loved ones. And there’s a very good reason for that. That is that, if you do, you drag them into things that, really is, is, in a way that is not fair on them,” he said.

Johnson refused to be drawn when accused by Kuenssberg of trying to “have it both ways” after multiple news outlets published a photograph on Monday of him and a smiling Symonds sitting in the Sussex countryside. His team denies the picture was set up and released by them.

He defended his Brexit plan to renegotiate a deal with the European Union, but admitted he could not rip up the entire withdrawal agreement, something which some Conservative Eurosceptics have said they believed he was planning to do.

Johnson claimed issues including the Irish border would be tackled “on the other side of 31 October during what’s called the implementation period” but then was forced to agree that the UK would not be entitled to such an implementation period without signing up to the current withdrawal agreement.

His rival for the leadership, Jeremy Hunt, has called for Johnson to face further scrutiny on his Brexit plan and answer questions about the police visit to his home, calling him a “bottler” for refusing to attend a Sky News debate this week.

Meanwhile, four Conservative party sources have told the Guardian that Johnson’s campaign team had raised concerns about the extent of media access to the 16 Conservative hustings at a meeting on Friday. However, the party chairman, Brandon Lewis, insisted there must be a livestream of each event.

The Guardian spoke to two sources present at the meeting who said objections had been raised by James Wharton, Johnson’s campaign manager, about the media access to the hustings, including questioning why a pool camera had been invited to film proceedings.

However, Johnson’s team said they did not make any such demands, insisting all organisational aspects were a matter for Conservative campaign headquarters. A source close to Johnson said there was “no objection from us about allowing media into the hustings – and of course they are invited to all”. Wharton declined to comment.

Another Conservative source said Johnson’s campaign had objected to the media access arrangements for the hustings, but Lewis had insisted at the meeting that the hustings must be allowed to be broadcast and covered properly by the press.

After Johnson said he would not take part in a planned Sky News debate with Hunt on Tuesday night, the channel cancelled the programme.

It is understood Johnson declined to take part in Sky’s debate because of terms agreed for an ITV debate next week, which the broadcaster has asked be the first head-to-head debate.

However, Hunt’s camp pointed out that Johnson had declined all television debates until Conservative members had already begun returning their ballot papers.

“Bottler Boris and his complacent campaign have shown they can’t trust their candidate to turn up and perform,” a source close to Hunt’s campaign said.

A source in Johnson’s team rebuffed claims the ITV debate would be taking place after Tory members had voted, calling it “prime voting time” for when members would be sending back their postal ballots.

MP Marcus Fysh, one of Johnson’s supporters, said Hunt’s criticism was ridiculous: “He is certainly not a coward, as was said by his opponent today in a very negative way.”

Hunt also joined calls for Johnson to explain why police were called to his home, saying his rival “needs to show he can answer difficult questions”.



The intervention by the foreign secretary followed cabinet ministers, backbenchers and a major party donor in demanding Johnson speak out about the loud, late-night altercation with Carrie Symonds, which was heard by several neighbours.

Police attended the property but left after receiving reassurances from both the individuals in the flat that they were safe.

John Griffin, the taxi tycoon who has given £4m to the Tories over the last six years, expressed concerns about the morality of the favourite to become prime minister. “We deserve an explanation about that row, and he has to handle it properly. He can’t assume that we are going to support him when he has not explained every detail,” he said.

Griffin, a Brexiter and founder of Addison Lee, expressed concerns about Johnson’s morality and said he should also come clean about his previous behaviour, including his responsibilities to his children.

Johnson has four children by his estranged wife, Marina Wheeler, and a child with a woman with whom he had an affair. However, he has been dogged by unproven claims that he has at least one more child. Johnson has refused to comment.

Tories warn of government collapse if Boris Johnson pursues no-deal Brexit Read more

“Each of his children need his love and attention. But he needs to show that he has given it to them. He cannot say that it is irrelevant. It is highly relevant. It is one of the ways you measure a person,” Griffin said.

Griffin called for Johnson to address allegations that he had had extramarital affairs and had treated women in those relationships badly.

In a tweet on Monday, Hunt said: “This contest isn’t about personal lives but if you want to lead this country you have to show up and answer questions on your plans for Britain.”

Hunt has made a raft of media appearances and spent Monday visiting businesses in the West Country.

The foreign secretary, who secured the endorsement of defence secretary Penny Mordaunt, a Brexiter, will promise on Tuesday to create a £15bn “war chest” of spending on defence rising to 2.5% of GDP in the next five years, up from its current 2%.

Hunt said it would show Britain was a “self-confident country ready to defend its interests and values as we embark on an exciting post-Brexit future”.