Rishi Sunak’s team clash with media as Scottish Tory conference descends into farce
The Scotsman
2023-04-28
Views 4.2K
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Scottish Press Row at Scottish Conservative Conference.
Rishi Sunak’s team clash with media as Scottish Tory conference descends into farce
There were chaotic scenes at the Scottish Conservative conference in Glasgow after Rishi Sunak’s team attempted to block several newspapers, including The Scotsman, from attending a media Q&A session with the Prime Minister after his speech.
Ahuge row erupted after Number 10 initially tried to limit the number of journalists who were allowed access to just six hand-picked reporters, as well as the Press Association news agency. They relented when the event was gatecrashed by other members of the media anyway.
Mr Sunak’s team then attempted to cancel the Q&A – referred to as a press huddle – and instead do only one pooled broadcast clip with the Prime Minister, citing a lack of time. This would have seen no newspapers allowed to ask questions.
When this was unanimously rejected by the journalists present, No 10 eventually U-turned and agreed the huddle would go ahead as planned.
Only the six journalists who were originally invited – from The Daily Telegraph, The Scottish Daily Mail, The Scottish Sun, The Times, The Press and Journal and the Scottish Daily Express – were permitted to ask a question. Mr Sunak also did a pooled clip for broadcasters.
“You call all delete your tweets about us restricting access,” a member of the No 10 team said, to laughter from journalists. Earlier, the event had descended into a full-blown row between reporters and Mr Sunak’s press team.
Mr Sunak was put on the spot about the shambles when the huddle eventually went ahead, more than an hour late. Asked why he had tried to speak to only a hand-picked group of journalists, he said: “That is absolutely not my understanding of what happened.
"Just yesterday, I filmed quite an extensive interview with BBC Scotland, part of which was also pooled and made available to other broadcasters, and I’ve just done another pooled clip earlier today, and I’m speaking to half a dozen of you here which was always the plan.”
He added: “That’s just completely wrong. Just completely wrong. I was always due to speak to, I think, half a dozen or so today, including PA [Press Association] as well, and yesterday I filmed, as you all saw, a long interview with BBC Scotland, a chunk of which was also pooled to other broadcasters.”
In a speech earlier, Scottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy had taken a swipe at the “delusional” deputy leader of the SNP, Keith Brown, for claiming it is “the most transparent political party in the UK”. He called the SNP a party of “secrets and lies”.
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: "The attempt to bar the press from asking questions was a desperate and cowardly act that has back-fired spectacularly. Time is up for the Scottish Tories – people know that it is their dangerous and out of touch politics that are the biggest threat to the union.”
Rishi Sunak’s team clash with media as Scottish Tory conference descends into farce
There were chaotic scenes at the Scottish Conservative conference in Glasgow after Rishi Sunak’s team attempted to block several newspapers, including The Scotsman, from attending a media Q&A session with the Prime Minister after his speech.
Ahuge row erupted after Number 10 initially tried to limit the number of journalists who were allowed access to just six hand-picked reporters, as well as the Press Association news agency. They relented when the event was gatecrashed by other members of the media anyway.
Mr Sunak’s team then attempted to cancel the Q&A – referred to as a press huddle – and instead do only one pooled broadcast clip with the Prime Minister, citing a lack of time. This would have seen no newspapers allowed to ask questions.
When this was unanimously rejected by the journalists present, No 10 eventually U-turned and agreed the huddle would go ahead as planned.
Only the six journalists who were originally invited – from The Daily Telegraph, The Scottish Daily Mail, The Scottish Sun, The Times, The Press and Journal and the Scottish Daily Express – were permitted to ask a question. Mr Sunak also did a pooled clip for broadcasters.
“You call all delete your tweets about us restricting access,” a member of the No 10 team said, to laughter from journalists. Earlier, the event had descended into a full-blown row between reporters and Mr Sunak’s press team.
Mr Sunak was put on the spot about the shambles when the huddle eventually went ahead, more than an hour late. Asked why he had tried to speak to only a hand-picked group of journalists, he said: “That is absolutely not my understanding of what happened.
"Just yesterday, I filmed quite an extensive interview with BBC Scotland, part of which was also pooled and made available to other broadcasters, and I’ve just done another pooled clip earlier today, and I’m speaking to half a dozen of you here which was always the plan.”
He added: “That’s just completely wrong. Just completely wrong. I was always due to speak to, I think, half a dozen or so today, including PA [Press Association] as well, and yesterday I filmed, as you all saw, a long interview with BBC Scotland, a chunk of which was also pooled to other broadcasters.”
In a speech earlier, Scottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy had taken a swipe at the “delusional” deputy leader of the SNP, Keith Brown, for claiming it is “the most transparent political party in the UK”. He called the SNP a party of “secrets and lies”.
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: "The attempt to bar the press from asking questions was a desperate and cowardly act that has back-fired spectacularly. Time is up for the Scottish Tories – people know that it is their dangerous and out of touch politics that are the biggest threat to the union.”
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