Boris Johnson accused Emily Maitlis of “descending into madness” after the pair came to blows during Channel 4’s coverage of the US election.
The News Agents presenter compared the former UK prime minister to Donald Trump during an otherwise forgettable night which saw the Republican candidate sweep to power.
In a savage takedown, she said:
“You started importing that Trump-like behaviour into Britain when you were Prime Minister.
“His disregard for institutions. His disregard for the rule of law” “
“His denialism… Mirrored in your response to the Privileges Committee… Your response to the Parliamentary Standards Committee… Your Proroguing of Parliament.
“This is all Trump-like behaviour.”
It was also alleged that Johnson had been ‘sacked’ by Channel 4 mid-broadcast for promoting his book too heavily, claims the ex-PM has rebuked.
He claimed he was replaced on the panel because he had to catch a flight from Washington to London, rather than because he had been laying on the marketing patter too thick.
“I had the great privilege of spending US election night with Emily Maitlis as she began her gradual descent into madness,” Johnson said in his column for the Daily Mail.
“Unfortunately, I had to leave the Channel 4 studio early – to catch a plane back from Washington to London.
“So I missed the bit where those swing states began turning Republican red, and when Emily apparently started swearing in frustration.
“But I could already see that she was getting pretty revved up.”
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