David Dimbleby has launched an astonishing attack on Prime Minister Boris Johnson (Picture: Georgie Gillard/Rex/AP)

Boris Johnson is copying Donald Trump’s political rulebook and has become ‘arrogant with power,’ according to David Dimbleby.

The BBC veteran launched into a blistering attack on the Prime Minister who he said was a proven ‘liar’ who ‘doesn’t give a damn’ about fairness.

He said Mr Johnson’s attempts to curb the BBC licence fee was a plot to stop scrutiny because he is ‘ignorant and floundering.’

And he also took a sideswipe at Mr Johnson’s chief adviser Dominic Cummings, who he said had ‘never governed anything.’


The veteran broadcaster said the BBC is under threat like never before (Picture: WireImage)

Mr Dimbleby’s told Germany’s ARD state TV channel in comments that did not make the final cut: ‘Nobody trusts Boris Johnson. Who could trust Boris Johnson? He lies everywhere to everyone. He lies to his family. He just makes it up, you know.



‘Johnson is apeing some of the attitudes of Trump.

‘He is a different kind of political animal, like Trump, very similar rulebook.

‘If you are like that the one thing you don’t want is people questioning what you’re doing, which is why he won’t let his ministers go on television or any serious programme.’

David Dimbleby followed the Prime Minister in the run up to the 2019 general election (Picture: Georgie Gillard/ Rex)

Downing Street is believed to be planning a radical overhaul of the BBC with funding cuts that could force it to slash the number of TV stations and reduce the amount of online content.

Mr Dimbleby said the corporation was under threat like never before and was a plot by Johnson and Cummings to prevent scrutiny.

He slammed the PM’s current way of communicating through an in-house team as ‘propaganda.’

The Question Time host, who followed Mr Johnson during the election campaign, continued: ‘The BBC is under threat in a way it has never been before.

‘The pernicious route they [the Government] are using is to say the licence fee is wrong or unfair. I don’t believe it is wrong or unfair.

‘It is a way of damaging and undermining the BBC that is dangerous and should be resisted forcefully if public broadcasting is to survive.

‘Anything that chips away at what we believe to be a good democratic process is dangerous and has to be fought against.

‘It has to be explained why not speaking to people is dangerous, why not appearing on television is dangerous.’

Boris Johnson has been criticised for failing to do live TV interview or meet the public (Picture: Getty)

Mr Johnson has come under fire for his refusal to do interviews, including in the run-up to the December 2019 general election and ahead of Brexit.

He has also been criticised for refusing to visit towns in Wales and Yorkshire currently battling flood devastation, while Prince Charles and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn have been to speak to the effected communities.

Mr Dimbleby said Mr Johnson was not ‘willing to submit to scrutiny’ and was feeling arrogant because of his 80-seat majority in the House of Commons.

The broadcaster said the tactic would eventually backfire when his promises, particularly over Brexit, fail to materialise.

He continued: ‘If you’re in the glorious moment of supreme power the one thing you don’t want is to be held to account.



‘You do it your way. Boris Johnson, above all politicians, does it his way. He doesn’t take any notice of what people say.

‘He doesn’t care what people think. He just wants to be Prime Minister.’

‘The moment will come when they need to talk to someone. Things are not going to go easy.

‘The decisions that are stacking up over Brexit, trade negotiations, are going to be very difficult.

‘At some point they will need to explain why they failed to get the 100 per cent they promised.’

Boris is ‘copying Donald Trump’ according to former Question Time host David Dimbleby (Picture: AFP)

Several Tory MPs have urged the PM not to ‘pick a fight’ with the corporation and Mr Dimbleby conceded there was a case to ‘tweak’ the £154 fee for those on benefits.

Downing Street last night refused to comment on the interview.