Please click to view the BBC tweet below. 

BBCTweet

Broadcasting rules are very strict around political balance, but that becomes even more important in the run up to a General Election where bias can influence how someone might vote.

Therefore the fact the BBC chose not only to record, but to air an interview of Jeremy Corbyn by Andrew Neil, before receiving a firm commitment from Boris Johnson to also subject himself to equal scrutiny, has shocked and horrified members of the viewing public who fund the BBC through our licence fee. 

We are now in the section of the campaign where postal votes are being cast, which means equality of scrutiny is not just important, but essential. The longer it takes for Boris Johnson to agree to an interview, the less impact it will have on votes. His decision to pull out of debates is different, because either the leader of the opposition cannot appear either, or his absence becomes glaringly obvious. That's not the case with interviews aired on different days. 

Trust in the BBC is at record lows. In this GE campaign alone we have had two examples of edited footage that appear to favour Boris Johnson. To have now aired an interview with the leader of the opposition without first securing an equal and timely commitment from the Prime Minister, is sending trust levels spiralling even lower. 

Only a Boris Johnson interview aired within the next day or so, could possibly restore some of that lost trust. 

The pressure is now on the BBC to ensure this happens!