Today programme threatens to ‘empty chair’ Boris Johnson

Today programme producers are telling Boris Johnson they will 'empty chair' him if he does not turn up in their studios for interview alongside his rivals for the London Mayoralty Ken Livingstone and Brian Paddick.

Johnson, the Tory candidate, has twice ducked invitations to appear, fuelling suspicion that he doesn't relish being interrogated by John Humphries after being given a roughing up by the two other members of the BBC resident rottweiler pack, Jeremy Paxman and Andrew Neil.

The central aim of Johnson's minder-in-chief, Aussie Lynton Crosby, has been to prevent his candidate from living up to his 'Blundering Boris' reputation. He has been more successful than many Tories feared but the maximum point of danger for Johnson has been whenever he appeared before the media on his own.

The contest between Johnson, Labour's incumbent Livingstone, and the lacklustre Lib-Dem Brian Paddick has received daily news coverage on the BBC and ITV stations in the capital. Boris Johnson has twice been 'kebabed' by Neil and Paxman and looked like a rabbit in the headlights on Question Time with David Dimbleby as the assertive ringmaster.

So it's no surprise that his minder Crosbie wants to avoid the possibility of gaffes in the last few days of the campaign - hence the desire to avoid Today. Under electoral law and BBC guidelines the programme producers only have to give him the opportunity to take part. If he fails to turn up, they can go ahead and interview his rivals leaving an empty chair and switched-off microphone for Johnson.

If he does duck out of the programme, his media invisibility could be as big a millstone round his neck as the revelations about cronyism at City Hall and the defence of Lee Jasper were to Livingstone in the early days of the campaign.

THE MOLE: LONDON MAYORALTY

FIRST POSTED APRIL 28, 2008