Mr Johnson said on Wednesday night that Paul Kagame, the president of Rwanda, had agreed that the BBC and the clergy had “misinterpreted” the deal with Rwanda.
“This is a sensible, bold and original policy. I think Priti [Patel] has come up with something that is extremely difficult to implement. I think she did a great job, “he said.
“But one thing I want to clarify, because the opposition leader has completely mistaken him – I did not say that the BBC is tougher on asylum policy than Putin. I did not complain about the coverage of Ukraine by the BBC, and I want to make this absolutely clear.
“All I said was that I thought politics was misinterpreted by the BBC and some parts of the clergy. That’s what I said. By the way, I just got in touch on the phone with Paul Kagame from Rwanda, who told me just that. “
In a letter to Sir Cair, Mr Dowden said the prime minister had “long experience in supporting the free press and the BBC”, especially with regard to Ukraine’s coverage. He said the Labor leader should withdraw his comments and apologize for “his misrepresentation and misleading parliament”.
The BBC has responded to the prime minister’s criticism, with Newsnight editor Sima Kotecha wondering if he would ever “risk his life”.
Justin Webb, a BBC veteran, told Today that Mr Johnson’s comments were a “smokescreen” and that he was “changing the subject and continuing the attack and attacking people he really shouldn’t attack”.
A BBC spokesman said: “A key part of being a BBC journalist is asking questions to the interviewers, which is what Justin was doing here. We do not take positions on political issues, and when a presenter asks a question, it does not mean that they express their own views. “
The British Church has rejected speculation that it has been “less noisy” in its criticism of Putin than of its plan for Rwanda as a “disgraceful slander”.
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