Boris Johnson’s decision to give his first broadcast interview since the general election to BBC’s Breakfast programme, rather than the broadcaster’s traditional political outlets, suggests Downing Street is making good on its promise to prioritise programmes with wider audiences rather than those perceived to be consumed by Westminster obsessives.

As such it was the morning magazine-style programme – traditionally seen as a softer interview by political advisers, to the annoyance of those who work on the show – that drove the news agenda on Tuesday by featuring the prime minister’s views on Huawei’s technology, future relations with Iran, and the prospect of Big Ben’s bongs being brought back by Brexit.

There is a particular enmity towards the Today programme, with Downing Street making the pointed decision to stop putting ministers up for interview on the Radio 4 programme – prompting the Today editor, Sarah Sands, to say the government is using its landslide majority to “put the foot on the windpipe” of the broadcaster.

While viewers on BBC One were watching the prime minister go head-to-head with the presenter Dan Walker in Downing Street, Radio 4’s listeners had to make do with the former cabinet minister Liam Fox in Today’s traditional 8.10am headline political interview slot.

Today programme insiders said they were “relaxed” about the current state of affairs, while negotiations with Downing Street continued about the return of ministers.

The interview also shows that despite the shift towards releasing material directly to audience on social media, there is still a substantial value in reaching audiences through traditional means. Johnson’s comments received blanket coverage across the BBC and other forms of media on Tuesday.

BBC Breakfast can attract about 2 million viewers on a good day, while the Today programme – measured using a different methodology - reaches 6.6 million listeners across a week. But crucially BBC Breakfast viewers are perceived to be more likely to be floating voters rather than the politically engaged.

In the run-up to the general election, Johnson’s campaign proved it was possible to refuse to take part in broadcast programmes – whether it was an Andrew Neil interview or a Channel 4 debate – without suffering electoral consequences.

This attitude has continued since the Conservatives’ substantial election victory, with a pledge to consider decriminalising non-payment of the licence fee and continued sniping against Channel 4.

On Monday almost every national newspaper editor signed a public letter complaining about recent changes to Downing Street’s briefing to the lobby, the group of political journalists who work in parliament.

They have objected to the unilateral decision by No 10 to move the briefings out of the Houses of Parliament and into Downing Street, something the government says will allow more briefings from experts in government but which journalists claim will make their lives harder and theoretically give No 10 a veto over who can attend. So far Downing Street has been unmoved by their pleas.