On Thursday evening the Prime Minister was replaced by a melting ice sculpture during a live Channel 4 News debate on climate change. A video has now emerged of Michael Gove storming the broadcaster’s studios, asking if he could step in for Boris Johnson in the climate debate, confirming the Prime Minister was “otherwise committed”. Footage shows the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster entering the studios with his own camera crew and being greeted by a Channel 4 News representative referred to only as “Ed”.

The representative from the broadcaster said: “Hello Mr Gove, we weren’t expecting you. How are you? I’m Ed from Channel 4 News.”

Mr Gove asks: “Hi Ed, hi. Um, will you be able to put me on the debate for tonight?”

Ed says he will go and “have a chat”, before adding: “But we have got a spin room here which we absolutely have allocated time for you if you want to come along in the spin room.”

Mr Gove replies: “It’s very very kind and I appreciate the offer but what I’d really like to do if that’s okay is take part in the debate itself.

“Because all the other parties will be represented and I just think it’s only fair if we have a Conservative voice there as well.”

Ed questions whether Boris Johnson is coming, to which Mr Gove says he “can’t at the moment”.

Ed asks: “He’s otherwise committed?”

Mr Gove responds: “Indeed, and as the Minister who’s responsible for the Climate Change Summit in Glasgow next year, I thought it would be fair just to give me a chance to debate.”

Ed then asks for him to “go and grab a seat” with footage showing Mr Gove waiting inside. The Tory MP then comes outside with a person off camera asking: “They wouldn’t let you in?”

Mr Gove explains: “No, well I went along tonight, I wanted to take part in the debate on the climate emergency, it’s one of the biggest issues facing the country. We’ve got a great record. I talked to the editor of Channel 4 News, and he said ‘no’. And I asked him if he would ask all the other party leaders if i could take part in the debate, and very generously he did, but he reported back to me that every other party had said no.

“They do not want a Conservative on the platform. They wouldn’t accept a Conservative voice, and that means that the ideas that we have on the climate emergency, the policies that we have to have a cleaner, greener planet, won’t be explored tonight.

DON’T MISS

Election 2019: Corbyn MOCKED as Andrew Neil exposes tax pension plot [BLOG]
BBC’s Kuenssberg dismantles Corbyn’s NHS claims – ‘It is not there!’ [VIDEO]
Election MRP poll: Result from UK mega-poll in full [INSIGHT]

“I think that’s a denial of debate, I think that’s a denial of democracy. And it’s one of the reasons why I’m so sad that the other parties are scared, running scared of debating the Conservatives on the environment.”

In extraordinary scenes, the broadcaster replaced the Conservatives with an ice sculpture of the earth.

Mr Johnson had declined to take part in the show, the first-ever climate crisis election debate, with the Conservative party putting forward the former Environment Secretary in his place. It is understood that the Labour leader was asked if Mr Gove could take part but he refused.

A ferocious war of words broke out between Channel 4 and the Conservative Party moments before the programme went on air.

A Conservative spokesman said: “We are deeply disappointed that Channel 4 News has conspired with Jeremy Corbyn to block the Conservatives from making the case for tackling climate change and protecting the environment in this evening’s debate.

“Under this Government, the UK was the first advanced economy in the world to legislate for a net zero target and we’ve reduced emissions faster than any other advanced economy while continuing to grow our economy. Broadcasters have important responsibilities to present a balanced debate representing all parties, and Michael Gove was well qualified to represent the Conservative position at this evening’s debate.”

Ben de Pear, the editor of Channel 4 News, said: “These two ice sculptures represent the emergency on planet earth, not in any human form but are a visual metaphor for the Conservative and Brexit parties after their leaders declined our repeated invitations to attend tonight’s vital climate debate.”

Source: Read Full Article