The Conservative Party chairman has repeatedly refused to answer questions about his selection as a Parliamentary candidate, leading a Tory aide to step in and threaten to cut the interview.
Richard Holden was asked at least four times whether his selection to a safe seat hundreds of miles from his previous constituency amounted to a "stitch-up", but each time refused to answer.
Report by Kennedyl. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Richard Holden was asked at least four times whether his selection to a safe seat hundreds of miles from his previous constituency amounted to a "stitch-up", but each time refused to answer.
Report by Kennedyl. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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NewsTranscript
00:00 How can you justify yourself, chairman of the Conservative Party, being parachuted into a safe seat
00:07 300 miles or so from your old constituency
00:10 Shortlist of one, one, not the normal three or more, just a day or so before
00:17 nominations close
00:19 How would you, how do you answer the charge? It just looks like an appalling stitch-up and you are part of a self-serving elite
00:27 This interview is about Emily Thornberry's comments today
00:30 And when she admitted that it's going to be our children across the country who pay the price for Labour's decision
00:37 To try and tax private schools if they get into office
00:41 It's quite clear to me that it's not just families who are going to be paying the price with
00:45 2,000 pounds of extra taxes under the Labour Party
00:49 It's going to be our children with larger class sizes right across the country
00:53 That I think is a horrendous price to pay, children's education, in order to deliver on Labour's ideological obsession
01:02 This is a pool interview and other broadcasters have asked me to ask about your selection
01:07 And we want to ask about it as well. I come back to the question
01:11 It looks like a stitch-up. Chairman of the party, shortlist of one, just before nominations close
01:17 How is that not an appalling stitch-up and anti-democratic?
01:22 Emily Thornberry today has completely admitted that Labour's approach to taxing schools
01:29 Is going to mean larger class sizes for children right across the country, particularly in the state sector
01:35 Children are going to be paying the price for Labour's ideological obsession with over 2,000 pounds extra
01:41 On tax for their parents and larger class sizes for children
01:45 It's children and families who are going to pay the price under a Labour government
01:49 So you can't justify the way you have been parachuted into Basildon and Billericay
01:56 You're not denying it's a stitch-up and it's anti-democratic
01:59 Emily Thornberry today has admitted...
02:01 I'm going to stop you now, this is ridiculous
02:03 This is ridiculous
02:05 You said in an interview earlier this year you were bloody loyal to the North East. What happened to that?
02:10 John, I've already answered these questions
02:14 No you haven't
02:14 Actually I have
02:16 When?
02:16 When I did a Channel 4 News interview last week
02:19 Oh right, it was one broadcaster isn't it?
02:21 This is a pool interview for all the other broadcasters, everybody
02:23 John, I think these broadcasters agreed that the questioners would be...
02:26 No, nobody agreed that at all
02:28 I've got a list here of questions from other broadcasters
02:32 All three broadcasters agreed, everyone on this...
02:34 Nobody's agreed, no absolutely not
02:36 We did, we did, we'd like to check and approve
02:38 If that's where this is going to go then we'll just leave
02:40 Because that's not what we agreed to come here today to discuss
02:42 We discussed Emily Thornberry...
02:44 Alright, let me ask you a different question then
02:46 But this is not satisfactory at all
02:48 satisfactory at all.
02:50 [BLANK_AUDIO]