General election: Boris Johnson challenged over 'disgraceful' single mothers remark
The PM says he meant "no disrespect" when he described single mothers as "irresponsible" in a magazine column almost 25 years ago.
Friday 29 November 2019 18:08, UK
Boris Johnson has said he meant "no disrespect" when he described single mothers as "irresponsible" in a magazine column published almost 25 years ago.
Appearing on an LBC radio phone-in, the prime minister was challenged about the Spectator article by a single mother named Ruth.
She told Mr Johnson she was unhappy with what he had written and questioned why he was reluctant to talk about his own family.
Mr Johnson said: "Ruth, I want to say to you, I mean absolutely no disrespect to you or anybody.
"These are 25-year-old quotations culled from articles written I think before I was even in politics."
The PM claimed the quotes had been taken out of context and were part of a smear campaign by Labour in the midst of the general election campaign.
"They're just trying to distract from the reality that they have no plan to get out of the EU," Mr Johnson said.
He was later challenged again about the remarks at a news conference, this time by Sky's political editor Beth Rigby.
"In the millions of words that I have written you'll find that everybody is able to find that they can cull from the text and twist them and distort them in whatever way they choose," the PM said.
In a follow-up question, Ruth asked Mr Johnson why he comments on other people's children, "when you don't comment on your own?"
Asked by host Nick Ferrari if he was "fully and wholly involved" with all of his children, Mr Johnson said: "I love my children very much but they're not standing at this election."
He added: "I'm not going to put them on to the pitch in this election campaign, when I think what people want to hear is what my plans are for the country."
Mr Johnson has faced repeated questions over his private life, including how many children he has.
Labour’s Angela Rayner said Mr Johnson’s "refusal to apologise" for the "hateful comments" was an "absolute disgrace".
The comments came ahead of a news conference in London, during which Mr Johnson laid out his "Brexit roadmap" that he claimed will "unleash the benefits" of taking Britain out of the EU.
The PM said a Tory majority government would introduce new state aid rules, change procurement policy to promote local economies and introduce a "buy British" rule for public bodies to help farmers.
And Mr Johnson promised to "take steps to ensure" his planned Australian-style points-based system for immigration is in place by 1 January 2021.
"People voted to take back control - and we want to deliver that change," Mr Johnson said.
Mr Johnson announced his key immigration promise at the Conservative manifesto launch on Sunday, but this is the first time he has set a deadline for when it should be implemented by.
Currently, the transition period - when the UK's future relationship with the EU will be negotiated - is due to finish at the end of 2020, which would coincide with the start of the new immigration rules.
Under the new plans, most immigrants will need a job offer to come to the UK to work. However, exceptions will be made for highly skilled scientists and people wanting to start a business in the UK.
People coming to the UK from the EU will only be able to access benefits after five years, as is the current case for those coming from outside the bloc, and new arrivals will have to cover the full cost of using the NHS, the manifesto states.
Doctors, nurses and other health workers will be able to apply for an NHS visa, and EU citizens who were in the UK before Brexit will be allowed to stay, it adds.
The PM warned that Brexit would be further "delayed, diluted, denied" if the Tories do not win a majority on 12 December.
He said: "No other party can deliver change at this election because every other party would be stuck in that selfsame hung, broken parliament, arguing amongst themselves about Brexit, which is why the only way to secure change at this election is with the Conservative Party.
"And if we do this we will at last be able to lift ourselves out of the present morass and go forward with confidence."
The PM took a range of questions from journalists at the news conference - in the wake of a row between the Conservatives and Channel 4 over his non-appearance at a debate on the climate crisis.
During the Q&A, Mr Johnson:
- Denied he was "running scared" from a BBC interview
- Defended his lack of a plan for social care, saying trying to reach a cross-party consensus was the right way forward
- Clarified a previous comment that the monarchy was "beyond reproach", telling reporters he was referring specifically to the Queen and not the Royal Family as a whole
- Declined to guarantee Jacob Rees-Mogg will still be Commons leader after the election, in the wake of criticism over controversial comments about the Grenfell Tower fire
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