‘Where’s the grilling you gave Jeremy Corbyn?’ TV breakfast show hosts slammed online for giving BoJo easy ride with ‘cosy chat’

British TV breakfast show presenters Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby received a brutal backlash on social media after a cuddly “selfie” pic with Boris Johnson went viral following the UK prime minister’s interview.

Johnson has faced widespread criticism for failing to agree to an interview with the BBC’s flagship political presenter Andrew Neil, who is seen as a notoriously tough and forensic interrogator. Every other party leader has agreed to one – apart from the current PM.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had appeared on ITV’s This Morning program earlier in the week, where he received a tough grilling from Schofield and Willoughby on his party’s handling of the issue of anti-Semitism. In sharp contrast, the pair failed to ask Johnson one question on the Tories’ record of tackling Islamophobia within the party.

However, it wasn't just the perceived ‘soft’ interview that Johnson received that angered people online, but also the ever so cosy selfie the trio were seen indulging in, that really provoked a flurry of harsh responses.

One person on Twitter said that both Schofield and Willoughby “should be ashamed of themselves.” While Mehdi Hasan, a columnist for the Intercept, poked fun at Johnson’s refusal to an interview with Neil and warm embrace of non-existent questions from Schofield on Johnson’s past offensive comments.

TV comedy producer Jolyon Rubinstein joked: “Ouch! Phil’s really sticking it to Boris on his Islamophobic racist remarks with this selfie isn’t he.”

The chances of Johnson agreeing to the Neil interview look incredibly slim with just a week until polling day. The PM’s team will want to avoid any embarrassing gaffes, knowing that in such a tight general election race, one seemingly small error could have massive consequences for their man’s chances at the ballot box on December 12.

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