Tory leadership: Liz Truss cancels BBC interview with Nick Robinson

Liz Truss has pulled out of a BBC One interview with Nick Robinson that was due to air on Tuesday evening.

Ms Truss's team said she could no longer spare the time for the one-on-one programme, the BBC said in a statement.

Rishi Sunak, Ms Truss's rival for the Conservative leadership, was interviewed by Robinson on 10 August.

The ballot of Tory party members closes on Friday, with the winner set to be announced next Monday, 5 September.

In its statement, the BBC added: "We regret that it has not been possible to do an in-depth interview with both candidates, despite having reached agreement to do so."

Robinson said on Twitter he was "disappointed and frustrated" that his scheduled interview with Ms Truss - widely considered to be the front-runner to become prime minister - had been cancelled.

Mr Sunak's campaign team accused Ms Truss of "avoiding scrutiny", adding that pulling out of the interview suggested she "doesn't have a plan at all" or it "falls far short of the challenges we face this winter".

Labour, meanwhile, said Ms Truss did not want to answer questions about her plans because she did not have any "serious answers" to the challenges facing the UK.

Former BBC broadcaster Andrew Neil said he feared Ms Truss's decision would be the "final nail in the coffin" for political leaders' interviews, calling it a "cavalier way to behave".

He told BBC Radio 4 that broadcasters and political candidates had "always proceeded on good faith" in the past but it would be difficult to arrange in the future following her withdrawal.

He said Ms Truss had also refused an interview with him on Channel 4 during the leadership contest this summer.

Outgoing prime minister Boris Johnson also pulled out of an interview with Neil on the BBC ahead of the December 2019 election, despite all other leaders from the major parties sitting down with the veteran broadcaster.

Both Ms Truss and Mr Sunak have taken part in a series of hustings across the country, as well as television debates that have included direct questions.

Ms Truss also faced questions from a GB News audience in Leigh, Greater Manchester, in an hour-long programme earlier in August, something Mr Sunak has avoided.

They have faced particular scrutiny over their economic plans amid a growing cost-of-living crisis.

Foreign Secretary Ms Truss has so far committed to cutting National Insurance and axing green levies on energy bills.

Former chancellor Mr Sunak, meanwhile, has proposed cutting VAT on energy bills as part of a £10bn package.

In his interview with Robinson, Mr Sunak said he would rather lose the contest than win it "on a false promise".

The final official hustings of the leadership race are due to be held in London on Wednesday.

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