Huw Edwards scoffs ‘daft claims’ BBC had plans to remove Boris Johnson from office

Broadcaster Huw Edwards has scoffed “daft claims” that the BBC had plans to remove Boris Johnson from office.

In a tweet after an interview with The Times’ Andrew Billen, Mr Edwards said: “Rather important context — this was a response to daft claims that the BBC had such a plan . . .”

In the interview, the Welshman, 59, said: “If there is [a plan to remove Boris Johnson from office], somebody had better tell me very quickly because I’ve not been told.”

Edwards explains how he is in the midst of the busiest year of his career, but in no rush to slow down.

In April there was a phone call to his home in south London relaying the news that the Duke of Edinburgh had died.

After getting a lift from his wife, a train, a Tube and “a quick march”, Edwards was on air at 1pm to present the BBC’s rolling coverage from Broadcasting House.

Rather important context — this was a response to daft claims that the BBC had such a plan… 🙄 @BBCNews @BBCNewsPR https://t.co/mCHTscYU8u

— Huw Edwards (@huwbbc) June 5, 2021

The artitle states: “The funeral followed – Edwards’ first royal funeral as presenter – and then, a few weeks later, two days of election specials, the first, starting at 9am and finishing at 10pm, likely the longest continuous results programme in British broadcasting history.

“The next day’s from 1pm to 6.30pm felt like a walk in the park,” he says.

The article mentions his inverview approach with politicians as “softly, softly.”

‘Humour’

He said: “There’s a danger you’re just seen as someone who delivers the news. People do pigeonhole you. There is no question about it. You need to find ways to show other sides of your personality – if you have other sides to your personality, or if there are sides you want to show. I’ve lost count of the times people have come up to me when I’ve done a talk or something and said, ‘We had no idea you had a sense of humour.’ ”

Edwards’ funeral commentary was almost universally praised, although Telegraph and Spectator columnist Charles Moore spotted a couple of trifling errors.

It was Moore who accused the BBC of having a mission to remove Boris Johnson from office.

In reply, Edwards said: “If there is, somebody had better tell me very quickly because I’ve not been told.

“In a way, a tiny fraction of me wishes that maybe [Moore] had sat in the chair of the BBC Board [a job for which he was touted] because he’d have seen what the BBC machine is. It’s a very different machine from the journalistic machine he is used to: people who are very serious about doing a fair job.”

And regarding the much-heralded new TV station GB News, Edwards said: “I absolutely relish the competition. And the more we get them saying things like, ‘We want to give people what the BBC is failing to give people, or what ITV is failing to give people, what Channel 4 is failing to give people,’ my answer, in my own assertive way, is, ‘Well, let’s see what you’ve got.’ ”