There is “no reason” for Boris Johnson to take on Tory leadership rivals like Rory Stewart and Dominic Raab in TV debates when he is so far ahead of them, an ex-cabinet minister and ally has said.
Andrew Mitchell rejected suggestions that Johnson was hiding from scrutiny and suggested the field was still too wide, with seven candidates, for him to take part in debates.
Johnson is way out in front in the leadership contest with 114 backers, more than a third of the party’s MPs and enough to guarantee him a place in the final stage, when two candidates go to a vote of Tory members.
He has so far refused to commit to taking part but the comments from Mitchell, a veteran of Tory leadership contests who ran Sir John Major’s numbers book in 1990, suggested he should be relaxed about Channel 4’s threat to “empty chair” him in a Sunday night debate.
Asked if Johnson would avoid TV debates, Mitchell told HuffPost’s Commons People podcast: “He won’t.
“He may not agree to debate with (six) other candidates but certainly Boris has never been shy of scrutiny or the media.
“By the time the Conservative party in the country go to the polls, it’s inconceivable he won’t have done quite a lot of media.”
Mitchell went on: “It depends on the format and also how many, because he’s some way ahead so there’s no reason for him to debate with everybody I wouldn’t have thought.
“But I’m not on his media team, they are very expert and together with him they will decide.”
Result of the first Tory leadership ballot
Boris Johnson: 114
Jeremy Hunt: 43
Michael Gove: 37
Dominic Raab: 27
Sajid Javid: 23
Matt Hancock: 20
Rory Stewart: 19
Andrea Leadsom: 11 (Eliminated)
Mark Harper: 10 (Eliminated)
Esther McVey: 9 (Eliminated)
Mitchell also said Johnson was right not to rule out proroguing – essentially suspending – parliament to try and force through a no-deal Brexit on October 31 if necessary.
But he warned it would amount to “playing fast and loose” with democracy, pointing out that the last ruler to prorogue parliament in order to circumvent MPs, King Charles I, was eventually executed.
“I think he’s right not to rule anything out but I don’t think it’s reasonable or practical to prorogue parliament,” he said.
“It looks as though it’s the executive playing fast and loose with parliamentary democracy and the last time the executive did that the king lost his head, so I think it’s not a sensible approach to take.”
Earlier, senior cabinet minister Amber Rudd said candidates have a “duty” to take part in TV debates.
Rudd, who is backing Jeremy Hunt, said: “I want them all to do the TV debates.
“Jeremy has said he wants to participate, he’s still in negotiations, but the key thing is that all the candidates get out to TV debates.
“I keep on saying the fact is the Conservative party needs to remember that we’re not just choosing a leader, we’re choosing a prime minister and the public need to see them.
“I think they’ve got a duty to do it – to be publicly interrogated.”