Boris Johnson misses another debate as he fails to show at local hustings

Boris Johnson was empty-chaired at his local hustings in his latest failure to turn up to an election debate.

A church in the Prime Minister’s Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency held its election event last night but Mr Johnson did not participate.

In publicity released ahead of the hustings, Yiewsley Baptist Church said of the five main candidates it invited to attend, two confirmed, two were unable to attend and Mr Johnson was the sole candidate to decline the invitation.

Ali Milani, who is standing for Labour in the constituency, attended and said he was still up for debating the PM.

The church was contacted by Yahoo News UK today for details on what happened.

Mr Johnson is also being criticised for having failed to set a date for an interview with the BBC’s Andrew Neil.

This morning, a report emerged that he may miss a broadcast with the famously tough interviewer altogether.

Andrew Neil said he was ready to interview Mr Johnson at any time and made remarks about scrutinising the Prime Minister.

All of the other major parties’ leaders have turned up for interviews, and anger was sparked in the Labour ranks when it emerged Mr Johnson had not been booked in yet.

That emerged shortly after Jeremy Corbyn’s interview with Mr Neil was broadcast, in which the Labour leader was taken to task on anti-semitism and finances.

In a stunt today, Led By Donkeys, a campaign group that targets pro-Brexit politicians, drove a van with a screen on it to the Conservative Party headquarters in Westminster to broadcast Mr Neil’s message to Mr Johnson, which was first broadcast on the BBC.

Mr Johnson also avoided a climate change debate on Channel 4, in which he and the also-absent Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage were replaced by melting ice sculptures of globes.